Til Midnight
by Promkastel
Summary: After the sealing of Trihexa, one might expect Issei to finally find peace. However, a single discovery changes everything. Now on his own, confused, and his heart in pieces, Issei and the one person who sticks beside him must race against an ancient being whose machinations could spell the destruction of all Creation. Rewrite. Still rated M for safety!
1. Prelude

**HAHAHA! Yes, this is the first chapter of the rewrite. Like I said in my note. Some of the chapters will stay the same. This is one of them. Some of them will be new ones obviously so don't expect every chapter to be the same. Not all of them will. Only a few. Namely this and a few others. Another thing is that it will be a while before we get back to where we were. Plot wise. If you were here from the original, please don't spoil for anyone new. So without much delaying any longer. Let's get into this video- I mean new story.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

**[_Ddraig thinking_]**

**{Albion talking}**

**{_Albion thinking_}**

* * *

_Since living things could first think, there has been much debate over how the universe and everything in it began. Ask any modern day scientist and they will tell you that the universe began with an event known as the Big Bang over 14 billion years ago in which all visible matter, Time, Space, and Energy were released from a single point of infinite density and mass called a singularity. They are not completely wrong as the Universe is that nearly that old. The singularity part, however, is wrong. Others will look to the various religions of the world. The Greeks believed that the Universe began with Chaos and that the Protogenoi, beginning with Gaia, came from him and shaped the various natural forces of the planet. Hinduism states that the Universe begins and ends with regular 4.65 billion year cycles called Kalpas. The Norse were particularly brutal with the slaying of Ymir and the Shinto believed that the Kotoamatsukami were responsible for the world's creation._

_Medieval Christian Scholars would date the Universe at around 4000 to 5000 B.C while some put it as far back as 6000 B.C. These dates are wrong. The famous Archbishop, James Ussher states that the Universe began on October 23, 4004 BC at 9 in the morning. He was wrong due to the fact that he was off by about 12 days, and 22 hours. The entirety of Creation began on October 10 at 8 in what would now be morning. This makes the Omniverse a Libra. Now keep this date in mind because this date will be an important date in the story you are about to read. _

_Before we truly begin with our story, we must first know who we are reading about. Our story is about a boy. Of course, the boy isn't the only one who participates in this story but let's focus on the boy for now. His story began when he was born to two parents who kept trying for children after two failed pregnancies. He was born alongside his twin sister, who turned out to be a prodigious child. His journey began like your typical romantic comedy with the classic "Boy Meets Girl". This would quickly devolve into the standard ecchi, harem anime plot for the supernatural starting with "Boy Gets Killed By Girl" all the way to "Boy Saves The World". Let's focus on the last part, "Boy Saves The World", or more specifically "Boy Saves The World From His Rival's Psycho Grandfather And His Pet Apocalypse Beast". One would expect the Boy to have found peace after this fight but sadly, reality nor the Universe is not kind to its heroes. In another world, he may have settled down with his harem, have kids, a house, two dogs, and three cats but this is not that universe. So far, the Boy has been getting lucky or lucky as one can get after entering the Moonlit World. His defeat of the Apocalypse Beast was only the beginning._

_Before everything began there existed two beings. One of Existence. And One of not. Twins if you will. The first Two Beings. Equal in power. Neither gaining ground over the other. However, for one moment and one moment alone. Existence won out against its counterpart and sealed it away in a place in which none can find it. Existence birthed from him, the Seven Original Ones. Three of which are famous and one of the three being defeated by the Boy. But that's not what we're here to talk about. We're about the Boy! Yes, I remember now!_

_Now remember that date, I told you before I started talking about the Boy. That date just so happens to be today's date. Much like this date signifies a great change in the grand scheme of Existence, this date will signify a massive change in the Boy's life. Our story will truly begin much like where Humanity began. In a Garden. Whether this change is good for the Boy or bad for him. We'll just have to find out, won't we?_

* * *

**So guys like it? Hate it? **

**Once again, rewrite guys! Thank you! Make it a great day(night) or not, the choice is yours! Bye! Review if you're here from the original. If not, please tell me what you think!**


	2. In Which A Boy Breaks

**Right, so same premise. Well, mostly the same premise. I kept re-reading my old story and tried to make sense of the reason why they would do that and someone pointed out that having them treat Issei coldly isn't the way to go so I took that and used it! I feel like it would be much more of an impact if they treated Issei somewhat normally while also being slightly... distant to have the betrayal have more impact than it would if they were just being bitches. I want to break Issei. Also, Asia. I hated how I made (copied) Asia into one of them soo I didn't. Instead, I changed the entire nature of their relationship into one of a brother-sister relationship. Mitsuki and Lily still exist but Asia sees Issei as her older brother. It's easier for me to envision. The dreams and the Children are still there but demons don't exist. I made another race up for this.**

**Another question: Why did I post this so fast? Well, after I published the re-write. I was already working on this and I just typed for four hours straight with no pause. I'm really hyped for this.**

**Remember, the entire story was based on IluLugal's The Change of a Dragon! Don't forget that.**

**Let's get started, shall we?**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

_Heat?_

_Issei opened his eyes. His expression turned into that of shock and horror. The sky was split open as if the world itself had been torn at the seams. Dark beings that were too horrible for words flew from the tears in the sky while some crawled from the Earth. Issei watched in horror as the Angels, Gods, and humans fought back against these monsters._

_An earth-shattering roar caught Issei's attention. A massive dragon with seven heads descended from the clouds. Its jet-black body seemed to suck in all light while everything around it corroded into nothingness. The ground shook as the familiar body of a massive red dragon fell down next to Issei._

"_Red?" Issei whispered in shock._

_Great Red's body was motionless as the Great Dragon God's eyes became cloudy as he exhaled his last._

"_Buchou! Anyone!" Issei yelled as he tried to apply whatever magic he could to help the Great Dragon._

"_I… ssei…"_

_He turned and saw something that would haunt him forever. Rias was pinned to a wall. Impaled by a cross. If Issei was a God-fearing man which he wasn't, he would have called it poetic but now… it gave him nothing but despair and anger. Rias's eyes became cloudy as the arm she tried to reach out to him with fell limp. Blood poured from the cross as he noticed that one of her legs was torn off. Both her wings were on the ground next to him while her right leg was being gnawed on by one of those monsters._

"_Y- YOU BASTARDS! DDRAIG! LET'S GO!" Issei yelled as he summoned __**[Boosted Gear]**__._

…

"_Ddraig?"_

_Issei glanced down at his left arm to see something that horrified him. The __**[Boosted Gear]**__ was mangled. Broken beyond recognition. The gems, one blue and one green, were shattered._

_Another roar alerted him and Issei turned to see the dragon, all seven of its heads staring at him in sadistic glee, reveling in his despair. Its piercing red eyes sent waves of terror down his spine. _

_The Dragon reared its heads back and unleashed a torrent of black and red energy at Issei._

* * *

Issei's eyes snapped open as he jolted awake, alerting the people next to him. A cold bead of sweat ran down his face as he frantically looked around for whatever the hell he just saw. Issei saw his classmates looking at him strangely, some struggling to hide their laughter. He noticed Kiba giving him a concerned look.

"Mr. Hyoudou, is my class really that boring that you would rather sleep than pay attention?" the teacher asked as her foot tapped impatiently on the wooden floor. Her coal-black eyes bore into Issei's causing him to quake in slight fear.

"Err, no Az-ne- I mean Amaranth-sensei," Issei said, rubbing the back of his head.

The teacher shook her head and sighed. It was the third day in a row now and the school year just started.

"Just don't let it happen again. Capiche?" the teacher said.

Issei just nodded, not wanting to get into more trouble than he already was.

Amaranth went back to lecturing about bees or something. Issei wasn't paying attention. He looked out the window, trying to ignore the insults being sent his way by his classmates.

"Pervert was probably having a wet dream."

He gritted his teeth as he tried to suppress his annoyance. That dream again. The same dream he had been having every damn night! Ever since Trihexa had been defeated and resealed, Satan bless Rossweisse for finding a way to recreate the God of the Bible's seals, Issei had been having… nightmares of a sort. Well, night terrors are a more apt description. It was always the same. Him. The street littered with corpses. Destroyed surroundings. And the Dragon. He didn't know what it was. Ddraig, for all he was worth, tried to help Issei but interpreting dreams was not his forte.

The class went on until the bell rang, signaling that lunch has started. Issei began to pack his stuff back into his bag when he noticed someone standing next to him.

"Issei."

He looked up and saw a blonde man with greyish-blue eyes. He had a mole underneath his left eye. He was known the school over as the "**The Prince of Kuoh**" and the wet dream of every female in their grade, Yuuto Kiba.

"Kiba," Issei said, greeting him.

Kiba winced a little when he saw how horrible Issei looked. He had bags underneath his eyes and was looking paler than usual. Other than Kiba, only a few people had noticed his condition. Asia, Irina, Ddraig, and his sister were the only ones. His sister tried to help but even with her status as valedictorian, she was no better than Ddraig at trying to find out what his dreams were. Asia suggested seeing a therapist while Irina went into his room every night to calm him down. Sadly, the twin-tailed angel had left for some mission for Michael in Berlin.

"Are you okay? You look worse off than you did yesterday," Kiba asked.

"I'm fine. I just need a nap is all. Let's go. Rias said that she needed to tell us something," Issei said.

"Hey wait! Are you sure we shouldn't tell her or something?" Kiba asked as he jogged to catch up to Issei.

Issei looked down. Rias. She had been gone for a while. He saw less and less of her with each passing day. On top of that, the other girls were always busy now. They always had some sort of excuse which Issei could understand. Xenovia was the current president of the Student Council. Koneko was off training all the time now. Ravel had duties to her house and Rias and Akeno were in college. He just wished that they made some time for him. Even if it was just a little.

"Yeah," Issei said as they walked down the hall to go by some melon bread.

* * *

"Alright! Remember! Your reports on solutions in dealing with global warming are due at the end of the week. Don't copy! I can tell!" Ashley Amaranth said with a tone of finality that left no room for complaints.

The entire class grumbled under their breaths.

Ashley Amaranth was the substitute teacher for Issei's homeroom class. Rossweisse was preoccupied at the moment. Trihexa had made a small crack in the seal and that alone sent the Supernatural World into hysterics. Rossweisse, as one of the people who worked on the Seal, was recalled into action and sent to the frigid North where Trihexa was being kept in a space-time containment seal outfitted with millions upon millions of seals of both Enochian, Demonic, Nordic, Shinto, Greco-Roman, and Mayan origin.

"You can all go. Except for you Issei. We need to talk," Ashley said as she motioned for Issei to follow her.

Issei gulped audibly as he walked out the door with his stuff and followed Ashley to her office. Once inside, she motioned for him to sit in one of the chairs. Ashley folded her hands and looked at Issei intensely.

"Okay, Issei. What's wrong?" she asked.

"Huh? Nothing's wrong," Issei lied.

"Issei. I was your baby sitter for the better part of five years and I still look after you on occasion so lying to me isn't really a good idea. Not that you could anyway. Now, tell Az-nee what's wrong," she said.

Issei sighed. There was no use lying to her. "I haven't been getting sleep," he said plainly.

Ashley arched an eyebrow. Now that she looked at him closely, he looked sleep-deprived if the eyes were any indicator. He also looked… depressed. That was odd. Issei was normally a happy child. Even when his parents constantly compared him to his twin sister.

_What's going on Issei?_ She thought.

"I've been having recurring nightmares. Of a city that's on fire. Everyone I know is dying around me and there's this dragon. It has seven heads and it always kills me before I wake up," Issei said.

"Hmm," Ashley put a hand on her chin as she began to think of all the possibilities. What did that mean?

"Well, from the looks of things I can't tell what your dreams mean but I can ask you a few questions? Issei, are you feeling anxious, possibly hopeless, guilty for no reason? Thoughts of suicide maybe?" Ashley asked.

Issei gave her a bewildered look and shook his head.

"No, I've just been having these dreams," Issei said.

"Have you gone through something traumatic lately?" she asked.

Issei went silent. The Evil Dragon War was pretty traumatic. People that Issei fought alongside either got hurt or died.

"Y- Yes. One of my relatives passed away from a car accident," Issei said, twisting the truth still remembering the fresh death of Masaomi Yaegaki, who he had connected to on a level.

"I see. If I may guess, you might be suffering from minor PTSD that's causing you to have these dreams," Ashley said. "I think you should see a therapist."

"Thanks, Az-nee. Asia tells me the same thing but I just needed to get all that off my chest," Issei said.

"It's alright Issei. I do hope you follow our suggestion. We're only looking out for you," Ashley said.

"Well, I better get going. Club activities and all that," Issei said.

"Remember, if you ever need anything, come and talk to me. I'm always here for you, Little Dragon," Ashley said.

Issei pouted and glared at the woman.

"I'm a grown man now Az-nee!"

"Of course you are. My apologies. Now go. And remember to do the damn report!" Ashley said.

Issei responded with a "Yeah" and closed the door. She sighed.

_Bad dreams huh? If you were still here, what would you do, Onee-sama?_ Ashley thought to herself as she looked at an old photo of seven children, specifically a white-haired girl that stood behind them smiling brightly. She sighed and went to grade the first paper from the pile on her desk when her day was promptly ruined by what she read.

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET THREE AND A HALF PEOPLE AS AN ANSWER DAMNIT!?"

* * *

"LEARN TO DO MATH RIGHT YOU LITTLE SHITS!"

Issei chuckled as he heard his former babysitter, now teacher, scream obscenities as she graded papers. He turned the hall to see Kiba standing next to a blonde girl with green eyes waiting for him. The girl's eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Nii-san!" she said, waving. Issei chuckled. This girl was Asia Argento. A former nun turned devil after she was killed from having her sacred gear extracted by a fallen angel who shall remain unnamed. Did he fail to mention that she was Issei's adoptive younger sister?

"Asia," Issei said.

Asia walked up to him and placed a hand on his cheek, her eyes shimmering with worry.

"You're getting worse," she said.

"I'm fine. Az-nee told me to go see a therapist," Issei said.

"Well, if Amaranth-sensei says that you need to go see someone then we can schedule an appointment in Gremory Territory this weekend," Kiba said.

"Yeah," Issei said.

"Come on. I only came out to get you two," Asia said. "Rias-oneesama and Akeno-oneesama are waiting for us in the club."

* * *

The Occult Research Club was located in the old school building behind Kuoh. The building was a three-story building styled with its third story serving as a clock tower. The building was white save for the black tiled roof and had vines creeping up to its second story.

Issei, Kiba, and Asia ascended to the second floor where they were greeted by everyone else, including their new additions to the club. Koneko sat on one of the couches, eating snacks as a blonde-haired kitsune sat next to her, trying to grab some for herself. This girl was Kunou, the Princess of Kyoto, a Kyuubi, and daughter of the current Kyuubi no Youko, Yasaka.

There was another girl with white hair and blue eyes sitting next to Ravel. She wore the Kuoh Academy Middle School Uniform. She was Tosca, a survivor of the Holy Sword Project and Kiba's old friend now adopted sister. There were two more members but both were away on duties. Le Fay Pendragon, sister of Arthur Pendragon, and Bennia, a reaper under the service of Sona Sitri.

Issei's eyes traveled immediately to the red-haired beauty sitting behind the desk, sipping a cup of tea. Next to her stood a woman with long dark lavender hair and violet eyes, pouring another cup for herself. To the men of this school, she was described as a Yamato Nadeshiko or a perfect woman. These two were Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima, the former president and vice president of the Occult Research Club.

_Rias. Akeno._ Issei forced his thoughts down as he greeted them with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Rias! Akeno!" Issei said.

"Ah, hello Issei," Rias said in a tone that was not characteristic of her. While it sounded happy, it felt like she wasn't all there. Like she was forcing it.

Asia and Kiba looked at each other confused. What was wrong with her? She sounded off.

Deciding to test the waters, Asia moved up to greet them. "Um, hello, Rias-oneesama. Akeno-oneesama."

Rias's face morphed into genuine happiness as she turned to her bishop. She gave her a warm smile before greeting her.

"Hello, Asia," she greeted her happily.

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "Rias-sama. Akeno-san. Where have you been? We haven't seen or heard from you in two months," Kiba said evenly.

Not noticing his tone or just choosing to ignore it, Akeno answered his question. "Oh Yuuto, we've been busy is all. You know how university is or will be like. Lots of work and no breaks. Good thing they bring stress dogs onto campus for us to pet. I'm sorry if we worried you."

Asia and Kiba were floored at the differing reactions. Why were they acting like this? Why were they being weird in front of Issei? Even Issei noticed and he's normally as dense as a black hole. They looked at their friends and noticed that Xenovia, Koneko, and Ravel were all ignoring Issei's existence while the new members just looked confused. Even they were wondering just what was happening.

"Anyway, Akeno and I just came to check up on you. To see how the club was doing under Asia and Yuuto's leadership," she said.

Asia nodded while Kiba simply remained silent at her words.

Koneko spoke.

"We've been doing well Rias-sama. Asia and Yuuto are good leaders and despite the pervert's antics, the club has been doing well with contracts. Also, my sister sends her regards as the newest ambassador to the Youkai of Kyoto," Koneko said.

Issei felt as if a stake had been driven into his heart. How could Koneko say something like that? Sure she called him a pervert all the time but the way she said it now… it was like he was just a stain on her shoe.

"Ah, I see. Good for her then," Rias said.

"Is that all you came here for?"

Asia and Yuuto turned back to Issei who was now shaking. Asia moved to place a hand on his shoulder only for Yuuto to place one on hers. He shook his head and motioned for her to watch.

"You came just to CHECK!?" Issei asked, his tone rising.

Rias glared at Issei, causing him to shrink back. Realizing his mistake, Issei hurried and spoke once more, this time in a warmer tone.

"I mean, can't we spend some time together as a club again? Or maybe we can talk about college life so we know what to prepare for?" Issei asked.

Kiba and Asia were now worried at the brewing storm between Issei and the girls.

"Well, _Ise_, that is all we came for. College has kept us rather busy so we came to tell you to expect a few things in the near future. And do not _ever _raise your voice towards me again," Rias said in a frigid tone that sent a chill running slowly down Issei, Asia, and Yuuto's spines.

"Yes, well, what Rias is saying is that we're going to be the President and Vice President of the Student Council of Kuoh University so we won't have as much time to check in on all of you. Our _senpai~_ has been kind enough to show us the ropes and to help us win our elections," Akeno said, trying to defuse the situation.

The way she said senpai sent a wave of suspicion running through Issei. It was flirty, seductive, and had sexual undertones. Call him paranoid but Issei had read enough NTR doujin to know what was going on or at least have a sense of what was happening. He just hoped that wasn't the case and it was just paranoia.

"Yuuto. We have had a recent increase in Devil Contracts and I want you and Issei to pick up on the extra load as to not overburden Asia", Rias said to her Knight.

Kiba nodded, still trying to figure out their odd behavior.

"I'll take your silence as a yes. Now, if you'll excuse us. We have much to do," and with that, Rias and Akeno left the room.

_Drip._

_Drip._

Issei looked up noticing no one else in the room except for Kiba and Asia and the new members. He looked at his hand and saw crescent-shaped wounds from his fingernails digging in. "What the hell! Five months without seeing them and that's all they say! Whatever happened to being together!?" Issei yelled as he punched a wall completely breaking the wood and drywall. Asia ran over and grabbed Issei's hand. It had small cuts on it which she began to heal immediately.

Kiba looked at his friend worryingly. He saw his suffering and honestly, it didn't surprise him. Five months without contact and the few times he did interact with any of the other girls, they always blew him off. It was always _"I'm sorry Issei. I have some student council work to do.", "Get out of my face pervert", _or _"Maybe next time, Issei. I'm studying for an exam."_ so he wasn't surprised that Issei reacted the way he did. But what could he do? He tried talking to Issei about it but completely avoided the topic and the one person who could get him to talk was off on a five-day mission. In those five days, Kiba had sparred with Issei to get those feelings out. On top of the girls, the dreams Issei has been having. He had heard him talking to Amaranth-sensei about them. The minute Issei mentioned the dragon, Kiba felt his soul and blood freeze despite not knowing why. Kiba felt weak. Useless. The one person who he regarded as a brother was suffering and there was nothing he could do. Just him speaking to Issei wouldn't be enough. This was an effort that all his friends needed to take a part in but the others in the group were busy.

Gasper was staying with Valerie in the hospital.

Azazel was always with the Grigori due to past events.

The girls, well…

Rossweisse was in the north.

What remained of the Student Council was too busy dealing with the school under Xenovia and Sona with her pet project.

And the Four Satans, Vali Team, and Grayfia were busy dealing with the fallout alongside the other leaders. The only solace Kiba, Asia, and Issei's twin sister had was that Irina would be back in a few days to snap Issei out of whatever funk he was in. But for now, there was nothing that could be done. He snapped out of his reverie when he heard Issei run out of the building.

* * *

**With Issei**

* * *

Issei ran across campus ground, tracking two energy signatures that were headed for one location. Kuoh Academy College Division.

**[Who'd you piss off this time? I hope it wasn't your cousin again. She specifically told you what would happen if you peeped on the Kendo Club one more time]** a voice boomed inside his head.

Issei slowed down to a jog as he heard it.

"_Ddraig? You're awake!_" Issei said happily. _"I had another nightmare that we'll talk about later. Right now, I need to look at something_."

Hearing a seriousness that was normally uncharacteristic of his hosts' voice, Ddraig silently agreed.

**[I'll stay awake just in case you need me okay?]** Ddraig said.

Issei nodded in appreciation as he turned a corner.

Continuing his run, Issei took a shortcut through the park and after a few minutes, saw the ORC a few meters ahead. Hiding behind the corner, Issei watched as the original girls said goodbye to Rias and Akeno but there was something odd about it.

_When did they start accompanying them? Do they need to do something here or is it something else? _Issei thought as he peeked from around the corner.

Out of sight and a few feet behind them, Issei started to follow Rias and Akeno into the campus. Ddraig had been quiet for the past few minutes. As a Dragon Emperor, he had been alive for nearly a few million years. Experience was something he had in spades and if being alive that long has given him anything, it was the sense that something was about to happen. Something that would break his host.

Issei ran up to the massive gate and on the other side of campus, he saw a massive building and many other smaller buildings which he guessed were either the dorms, sororities, or fraternities. There were no students on campus at the moment so getting in was the easy part. Upon entering, he saw the backs of his two targets. He followed them at a quiet, but leisurely place making sure to suppress his power as to not be sensed. He followed behind the two women as they expertly crossed the campus. He walked past statues which he assumed to be founders or important teachers. He noticed one of them was Rias's father, Zeoticus Gremory. On the path, many trees adorned the path he was walking on. He couldn't identify them and silently wished that he paid more attention to Ashley's lectures during class. Maybe botany was his calling after he was done with everything.

The buildings looked similar to that of Ivy League universities such as Cambridge when he was looking at their campuses for possible universities to apply to. He mentally laughed at the thought of getting into an Ivy League. While he wasn't smart as his twin sister, Mitsuki, Issei wasn't stupid so he might have a chance. Maybe the founders were inspired? Snapping out of his dreams of being Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, he saw the building getting larger and saw Rias and Akeno enter. A few students were exiting the building for what Issei thought was to spend the weekend out. It was 5:00 PM after all and most of the students had already left campus.

Walking in, he followed Rias and Akeno who were talking to each other. He wasn't able to make out what they were saying but the way they looked from time to time made him suspicious of what they were saying. The very fact that he wasn't noticed was beyond him as he wasn't the most subtle member of the peerage. That record went to Koneko. He watched as they crossed towards a massive staircase that seemed to span the entire room. Reaching the top, they made a left turn and stopped at a door. Issei still at the edge peeked out and saw the words, Student-Faculty in bright gold letters in a wooden frame. Someone had spent money on this. A creaking sound of a door opening brought him out of whatever pyramid scheme he was planning. He saw a man step out. He was tall, maybe six feet, a bit taller, with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His physique showed that he did sports and to Issei's guess, it was martial arts or something along the lines of a combat sport. His eyes told Issei a different story. Issei perceived him as a threat not in matters of actual power, but something else.

Issei continued to watch the man as he talked to Rias and Akeno. After a few minutes, he invited them in.

**[I don't like this partner. Something about this isn't right.]** Ddraig said after being silent for the entire walk. The man unnerved him. Not in the sense that he was a danger. More in the sense of what he was.

"I don't like it either, Ddraig, but I have to find out what's happening. Why they're being so damn distant," Issei said.

Ddraig stayed silent praying to whatever god that what they'll find out won't mess his partner up.

**[But still, something about him isn't right. You should leave while you still can. I have a feeling that things will get ugly with that guy]** Ddraig said, trying to convince Issei.

"_C'mon. There's nothing to worry about, this guy is weak. Probably low class or weaker," _Issei mentally replied, _"Just a peek and then I'll ask them at the door. Okay."_

Issei looked in and saw the room. The room was beautifully decorated. There was a luxurious looking couch and the desks of the members of the faculty were arranged in a square formation with the president's desk at the head. Shelves lined the walls and were filled with various books. However, it wasn't the room that took Issei's breath. It was what he saw and heard.

He watched as Rias and Akeno were leaning on the man. He had a smile and a heavy blush on his face. Rias and Akeno's eyes were filled with happiness, warmth, and want. It was the same look they used to give him when Issei saved Rias from her arranged marriage with Riser Phenex and when Issei helped Akeno overcome her issues with her father and accept her Fallen heritage.

Ddraig's eyes grew wide upon witnessing the act. He hoped what he was seeing was just sort of sick illusion created by a wraith or something. The dragon checked on his partner's state. He found nothing. Not a shred of emotion or conscience. It's as if his partner just shut down. Ddraig tried to enter his mindscape but was forcefully ejected.

_**[This is not good**__] _Ddraig thought.

He tried again only for the same thing to happen over and over again. He turned his gaze back to the situation. Just what happened in the past five months. He had been busy recovering power and consoling Issei after every nightmare he had. Just what was going on. Ddraig needed answers.

Issei watched as Rias and Akeno wrapped themselves around him. He saw them hug him lovingly on each side, making a sandwich.

"Rias, Akeno. Look, I know you two like me but can we not do this here. We have papers to sign off-handed to us by the professors and the dean," the man talked still blushing, "We can do this tomorrow. I promised to take you both out after all. And besides, what if someone catches us?"

Even as he said those words, he wore a smile on his face. A smile that filled with pride and accomplishment. How could he not? Here he was sitting with the two most beautiful women in the entire school and they wanted him. All he could imagine was how heavenly the sex would feel.

"Hmmmm~", Akeno said finally breaking the silence. "You know you want this just as much we do, Tatsuya-kun~," she said her voice oozing seduction and sex appeal. She traced her finger across his chest as she blew lightly into his ear. Tatsuya's face grew increasingly redder by the second.

"What the hell Akeno! We agreed that we would do this together and here you are trying to seduce him in front of me!" Rias yelled hotly, crossing her arms in anger. She glared at her queen who simply giggled at her reaction.

"Ara ara~ Rias-chan. What are you talking about? It's obvious he wants me right now," Akeno said, pushing out her chest and making it jiggle. Tatsuya's eyes were firmly glued to their hypnotic motion.

"And secondly, your right! It's so fun to see you get so riled up. I wonder what will happen if I do this~," Akeno said as she began to nibble on Tatsuya's ear.

Rias's blood boiled. Akeno loved doing this to her even when they were with Issei. She marched over to the two and held Tatsuya's face.

Tatsuya leaned towards Rias and kissed her deeply while Akeno pouted and Issei watched with silent horror.

_No, no no no!_ Issei thought as tears streamed down his face. Why? Why was this happening? Every second he watched was like a stab in the heart. He felt his very soul being eroded by the action that was happening before him. Why would they do this to him? Hadn't he done enough for them? Was dying for them on more than one occasion, not enough? Was fighting the Apocalypse Beast not enough for them!?

The kiss became heated with their tongues clashing for dominance but soon ended. Akeno was even more daring than Rias that was for sure. Issei swore he heard her moan a couple of times. Tatsuya and Akeno broke apart and looked at the clock still dazed from the kiss.

_5:30 PM._

_Oh shit_, he thought. There were only 30 minutes left until the deadline. He saw Akeno and Rias were thinking the same thing and began to file papers.

* * *

Issei ran out of the campus. He just needed to get out. It didn't matter where he went. Just somewhere far away from that horrible scene. It replayed itself over and over inside Issei's head, each time being worse than the last. Issei tripped and fell face first. He groaned as he got up.

His eyes widened as he recognized the place. It was the park. The park where Raynare killed him and it all began.

W̶̹̻̘̖͙̼̳͂͜į̵͓̯͍̬̖̲̞̦͈̘͉̣̄́́͐͗͜͝l̴̝̏͐̊̍̂̅ͅl̸̡̺̘̖̤̩̱̲̻̞̩̼̐̆͋͒̈́̑ ̴̛̯̙̲̅̍̈́͆̈́̅̉͠y̷̛͇̮̩̼̠͙̰̹͊̍̉̀̑̈́̌̀̇̃̇̂́̇͜ò̴̢̺͚͔̖̗̯̖͕̮͙͇̃̈̇͋̃͒͗̂͜ͅu̷̡̟̳͓͕̜̹̭͚̣̅̌̆̽̌̈̿̌͒̿̾̐̇͝ ̸̨͙͉͖̪͖̺̻͆͛́̅͝ḑ̸̨̪͕͖̞̙̻̱͇̺̫̑̄́̏́͋̓̎̕͠͝͝i̵̡͔͈̼̪͍̥̭̗͓̯͚̜̾́͋́͌̾̚͠͝e̸͈̫̻͙̩̪͐̂̉̀̄̋͝ ̵̧̠̞̠̯̮͍͇̫̗̯͖̱̯͑͋̈́̀̇̏͗̓͊̏̚̚̚͜͠͝f̵̟̱̲͈̠̄̅̀͆̓̏̉̄̈́͆̀̉̄͠͠o̵̧̢̦̻͕̘̖͍͍̖̰͈̯̮̖̐̓͗̓̉̔̃̇͛̓r̶͈̗̠͚̠̹̤̗̰̹̬̮͎͉͂̄̀̓͑͋̃ ̷̘͔́͒̋͆̎͋̉̒̉̌̈́̚͝͠m̶̞͇̠̯͚̤̥̹͈̜̼̎͆̄͜ͅe̵͍̓̉̏̒̐́͘?̴̡̛̟̥̘̆̈́̓̓͗͗̾̏̄̕͝͠ͅͅ

Issei began to hyperventilate as her words came back to his mind. He gripped his head in agony as the memories of Raynare killing him overlapped with Rias and Akeno's betrayal.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Issei chanted to himself. He stopped when he heard a voice inside of his head.

**[-rtner! PARTNER! SNAP OUT OF IT!]**

"_Ddraig?"_ Issei called out hopefully.

**[Thank the dead God you can hear me! Issei, if you can still hear me, move your left hand]** Ddraig ordered.

Issei stared blankly at his left hand as he brought it up to his face. There was a flashing green light.

**[Fuck. Issei, I need you to listen. Whatever happened inside triggered something to happen to your pieces. I detected a residual piece of Loki's curse and some of Trihexa's corruptive energy that has latched onto your pieces. Now I don't know how the Maou made these but I do know that it reacts in a manner similar to an ant whenever it is sick. It's destroying itself to save you! It managed to do so to Loki's curse but Trihexa's energy, it only amplified it. The pieces are now fully corrupted by the energy and have switched to sapping your life energy!**

**[Another thing is that there is a strange energy in your blood that is reacting to the energy inside your pieces. It's tearing you apart from the inside out! We need to get you somewhere quiet so you can stabilize]** Ddraig urged.

Issei nodded mutely as he tried to stand. When he did, an immense pain flared inside of him, causing him to fall to his knees.

_W- What?_ Issei gasped out silently in pain as his hand flew to his chest. His heart. It felt like it was going to explode.

"Aniki!"

Ddraig thanked whatever higher power was looking out for his host. In the distance, he was a girl that looked like the female version of Issei running up towards them. She had the same brown eyes, her hair was slightly darker and reached down to her back, and she had a sexy yet athletic build that was cute at the same time.

"M- Mii-chan…," Issei rasped out as he gripped the end of the fountain.

"What happened!?" Mitsuki yelled as she supported Issei to his feet.

**[I'll explain later. Right now, we have to get Issei somewhere quiet so I can work in stabilizing him]** Ddraig said.

Mitsuki nodded and prepared a magic circle.

**[Wait! I don't know how teleportation will affect him. You'll need to help him walk]** Ddraig said.

Mitsuki frowned and dispersed the circle. She looked at her twin in worry. Mitsuki had come running immediately when she felt pain erupt inside her chest.

"Baby steps, Aniki," Mitsuki said as she helped Issei walk.

Every step he took was utter hell. It felt as if his every muscle, vein, and tendon were ripping themselves apart. The entire walk home was the greatest pain Issei ever felt. Mitsuki saw the gates and pushed them open. Hyoudou Manor was not what one would expect to find in a suburban area. It had been remodeled by the Gremory Family into a mansion with a dirt path leading up to the house. The twins made their way up to the door, the pain becoming more unbearable with each step Issei took.

Mitsuki helped Issei up the stairs and to his room, where Issei collapsed onto his bed.

"I'll go get Asia," Mitsuki said as she ran out the door to retrieve the blonde nun.

Issei just sighed and sat up after a few minutes. The sounds of birds chirping outside of is window did nothing to soothe the pain that he felt.

After a moment of nothing, Issei began to sob quietly.

*cough!*

Issei spat out a massive glob of blood onto the floor. He stared at his own blood as tears streamed down his face.

_Why? What did I do to deserve this? Was it because I was naive? Because I was stupid? Because I was a pervert?_

**[Stop right there partner. None of this is your fault. I don't know why those filthy devils did this but I know it wasn't because you were kind.]** Ddraig said to his partner.

"_Then why? Why were they saying those… things? Why were they with that fucker!"_ Issei yelled.

**[I don't know. But what they said about you isn't true. Sure, you aren't the most intelligent and are a pervert but those can be fixed. No one is born perfect after all. You can become more intelligent. You can tame and dominate your perversion. And all those other things, well, you'll just have to show them why dragons are the most feared and respected beings among the supernatural.]** Ddraig said to him.

Issei smiled a little. What Ddraig had said lifted his spirits. If only a bit but that bit was all Issei needed to take his mind off things.

"Thanks, Ddraig. I needed that."

**[Anytime, Partner.]**

The moon rose and Mitsuki returned with Asia and Kiba. Deciding to let Issei simmer down, Asia healed Issei and detected the same thing Ddraig did. An abnormality in his blood and his pieces malfunctioning. Mitsuki tried to call Ajuka, Sirzechs, and Azazel but she was sent to voicemail almost immediately.

"Look, let's call tomorrow. I'll try and sleep whatever this is off," Issei said.

"Nii-san," Asia said as she looked at him worried.

"I'll be fine," he said.

"Are you sure?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah," Issei said.

"Remember. If you need us, just give us a call," Mitsuki said.

Issei nodded and the three left the room, leaving the door slightly open so that they can rush in if Issei needed help. Issei laid down on his bed and pulled the covers over and closed his eyes.

* * *

He had found himself in the same scene but something was different. The dragon was there but the others were there with it. Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Xenovia, and Ravel. They were there helping the dragon. The girls descended upon Issei, surrounding him. Issei tried to summon the **[Boosted Gear]** only to be punched in the face by Koneko.

Issei staggered back and saw their faces. Demonic corruptions of what they once were.

Each one bearing a sadistic grin. Without a warning, Xenovia slashed Issei's Achilles tendon making him fall. She laughed at his pain. Then Koneko started to punch him in the gut repeatedly making him cough blood with her flaming fists. Each hit left a burn mark in the shape of a fist. Akeno walked up and began electrocuting him. Issei screamed his lungs out for what seemed like forever. She finally stopped but not before driving her heel into his liver. Then Rias walked up and said to words that would haunt him.

"You were a good toy, Issei-kun. I had fun playing with you."

Then Tatsuya walked up and began furiously making out with Rias. Their tongues wrapped around each other and he began groping her massive breasts. He stopped and looked at him. His eyes. His fucking eyes were the same as that damn dragon's. His body began to contort and his bones were cracking. His arms elongated into wings and two tails came out the back. He kept growing until standing over Issei was the Dragon. The Dragon smirked and breathed fire to Issei.

* * *

Issei sat up in his bed in a cold sweat. He shook as more tears fell from his eyes.

_Damnit… maybe they were right. Look at you crying because of a nightmare. You're pathetic Hyoudou. Pathetic! _Issei thought as he sat in his bed.

**[...]** Ddraig remained silent as he listened to Issei's thoughts. He began to look for something to distract Issei. His salvation came in the form of three new energy signatures in the living room.

**[Partner. There are multiple signatures in the living room. It might be them. This could be a chance to get some information!]** Ddraig urged.

Issei crept out of his room and made his way to the stairs.

"Nii-san?"

Issei turned to see Asia dressed for the day. She was wearing a white jacket and a blue blouse underneath with white pants.

"Asia? Where are you going?" Issei asked.

"I have a date today. I told you last week. You even threatened the guy," Asia said.

"Oh right. Have fun and remember. Protection," Issei said, making a joke.

Asia's face turned red as she pouted.

"Nii-san…," she said.

"Have fun," Issei said. Asia smiled and nodded and walked down the stairs. As soon as he was sure that Asia left, Issei hid at the top of the stares and sent silent **[Boosts]** to his ears to enhance his hearing.

"So how did you guys meet Tatsuya?" Xenovia asked.

"It was… a chance encounter. We were in the same English Studies class. He was sweet. Nervous. Cute," Rias said.

"Rias and he became instant friends and I just sort of came along," Akeno added.

"After a few months of being friends, he asked us out. He took us to this restaurant. I can't remember the name but I'll tell you guys when I remember it," Rias said.

"Both of you?" Koneko asked.

"W- Well no, it was sort of one at a time but then he told me that he liked Akeno too and couldn't choose between us so I talked with Akeno and Tatsuya and came to an agreement to be in a polygamous relationship," Rias said. "It was weird at first but hey… it's not like it was the first time."

"You didn't answer my question. Why him?" Ravel asked.

"Why? Hmmm, there are a lot of things. He's smart, funny, and cute. Understanding. Doesn't look at us like a piece of meat," Rias said, adding that last part with a hint of disdain in her voice.

"Yeah, it's nice to have someone see us as people instead of our chests," Akeno said.

"Hmm, I know the feeling," Xenovia said.

"How about you and Yuu?" Rias asked.

"Er… well, we met when I was buying a new shinai. Figured I'd give kendo a try you know," Xenovia said. "He worked there and helped me pick some out and… I don't know. It was like love at first sight I guess."

Issei's heart shattered when he heard those words. Ddraig, however, narrowed his eyes. Love at first sight? Weird. Xenovia did not believe in such a concept.

"Love at first sight?" Ravel asked.

"Yeah, we just really clicked. He helped me out and we both shared a love for motorcycles and just took off from there. I don't know. I can't describe it," Xenovia said.

"How romantic," Ravel said.

"What about you two? You're both sharing one guy like Rias and Akeno," Xenovia said.

"Hiruko-kun… he's a gentleman. Well, when we first met, I was running late and so was he. We ran into each other and I hurt my ankle," Ravel said, looking down. "He carried me to school afterward on his back. He was like a knight. Carrying a princess to safety," she said.

"We met in Home Economics," Koneko said. "He makes good sweets."

"That's a shallow reason Koneko-chan," Akeno said.

"He's also not a pervert," she said. "Also, I'll have him eating out of my palm by the end of the month. I spend more time with him than KFC over here so it's sure that he'll date me and not Ravel."

Issei arched an eyebrow. Something was off. Koneko never said that many words in a single sitting before.

**[Partner.]**

"_Yeah,"_ Issei said.

**[There's something off about how she's acting]** Ddraig said.

"_Yeah, she never says that many words in one sentence,"_ Issei said. "_Maybe she's being blackmailed?"_

**[No. Her feelings, while spontaneous, seem to be genuine]** Ddraig responded.

"_S- So you're saying that?_" Issei asked.

**[Yes. How they feel is real. How they act… now that's a different story]** Ddraig said.

Issei didn't hear the final portion of what Ddraig said. Instead, he snuck away not wanting to hear any more of their words.

**[Partner?]** Ddraig asked as he noticed Issei climbing out the window and walking to an isolated portion of the estate he nicknamed the Grove.

"_Was it all a lie, Ddraig?"_ Issei asked.

**[Was what a lie?]** Ddraig asked.

"_Their love. Was it all just a lie? Was I just some sort of toy for them to use and get rid of the minute they find something better?"_ Issei asked.

**[Partner…]** Ddraig said.

"_Our entire relationship was all just one fucking joke wasn't it?"_ Issei said as black flames began to manifest and lick the surroundings.

"IT WAS ALL A LIE!" Issei roared as a dark aura exploded from him.

* * *

**Kuoh Town**

* * *

Everyone in Kuoh felt it.

The dark, evil, and cold feeling that just enveloped their whole town. People felt goosebumps and some started hyperventilating. But as quickly as it came, it vanished. Some were lucky enough to faint but others would know.

Something happened. The beginning of something big. Everyone supernatural or not felt it. How could they not, the sun was blotted out and the wind was too cold even for Fall.

Inside Kuoh College Division, Tatsuya let out a breath that turned to mist upon exiting his mouth. His window was frosting over. Impossible, even for Fall, it's too cold, he thought. He shrugged and got back to work, not all the while ignorant of what was occurring.

Back at Hyoudou Mansion, Rias, Akeno, Ravel, Koneko, and Xenovia felt it. They were rooted to their spots. The foremost feeling in their minds was fear. Utter fear. Whatever this was they felt was angry. They didn't dare report this out of fear for whatever thing was out there.

The sun began to shine again but things were never the same after.

With Issei

Issei tried not to scream. Black flames licked his hands and the ground was cracking from the pressure of this oppressive dark energy. Issei looked at the sky and saw the sun was blocked by the clouds. His eyes were different. His irises were green and his sclera became pitch black with a crimson tint. Letting his dark emotions control him, he summoned Boosted Gear. An action that surprised and terrified Ddraig.

_**[I who am about to awaken.]**_

Ddraig's eyes widened. He knew what was about to happen. He thought they got rid of it after Great Red and Ophis granted Issei [Dragon Deification] but it was still there.

The Juggernaut Drive.

_**[Am the Heavenly Dragon who stole the principles of Domination from God]**_

**[Shit! Issei, snap out of it!] **Ddraig yelled desperately at his partner. Noticing the next line in the chant was coming up he began yelling again.

_**[I laugh at the Infinite. I grieve at the Dream.]**_

**[Damnit Issei! Don't do this! Innocent people will die! Do you wish to have that type of blood on your hands! I know you're suffering and I know you want revenge but this isn't the way to do things. If you do, you can never take it ba-]**

_**[I shall become the Red Dragon of Domination]**_

**[Issei! Don't do this, please! You're the greatest possessor of Boosted Gear. The one with the most potential. My best friend]**

As Issei prepared the next chant, Ddraig tried his luck once more.

**[Please! I don't want to lose you too! Think of Irina!]** Ddraig yelled out.

_**[I shall sin-]**_

The chant stopped. Issei fell to the ground breathing heavily. Irina. Ddraig was right. He wasn't alone. Kiba. Ddraig. Irina. He couldn't abandon them like that.

"Thanks, Ddraig", Issei said through pants.

**[Anytime.]**

"…"

**[...]**

**[So. What now?]**

"We have to remove these pieces. But first, let me pass out."

Ddraig laughed. His partner was full of surprises. He thought back to when Issei was activating the Drive. What was that?

_**[That energy felt familiar. Dark but not evil. If he can master that power, he'll be as strong as Albion and I in our primes. Maybe stronger. Rest, Issei. We'll get these damned pieces out of you. Don't worry.]**_ Ddraig thought before slowly repairing his partner's body.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

* * *

"He's awakened," a man said as he knelt before a shadowy figure. The man in question had stark white hair, dark skin, and wore a mask that resembled a bull's head except for the snout which was shaped more like a beak. He wore dark clothing and had a black cloak.

The figure turned, their blue eyes shining in the shadows.

"Good," they said.

"What do you wish us to do?" the man said.

"The others will follow soon after. Find them and bring them here," they said.

"Understood," he said as he stood. Before he could leave, the figure spoke once more.

"Oh and Beelzebub. Do be careful when dealing with the First. He isn't an easy target," the figure said.

Beelzebub chuckled before nodding. Beelzebub left in a swirl of black mist leaving the figure alone in the room. The figure turned back and stared out the window. Their eyes shifted from blue to red as they sighed.

"Let's begin shall we?" they said.

* * *

**Okay, I know what you're thinking. This has similarities with the original first chapter mainly the college scene and the awakening scene and the dream sequences and the... yes I get it. Why are they still doing this? Well, I changed my reasoning. If you noticed, Ddraig said that they were acting off. More on why in the chapter that shows everyone else's side. The reasoning is I hope no one used it yet. If so, I'm sorry for not knowing who used it. Another thing is Blacklight. I was kinda disappointed in myself for letting the organization die out after the first Arc so I wanted to give them a bigger influence overall. I'll let you decide whether or not you want Issei to join Blacklight or form Eden Squad. Either way, Issei will still be in the Azazel Cup.**** As I said, I changed some things. Let's get this down. Asia and Issei never dated. Asia developed sisterly feelings for Issei rather than romantic. As for pairings, it will be the same. Issei x Irina x Rossweisse x Kuroka x Ingvild x Artemis. I will build more on the last two since the first three retained their canon feelings for Issei. Issei and Irina's relationship as children and as friends will also be the same. Another thing I plan to build more upon was Issei's home life as a child. I know that I showed that Issei's parents favored his twin sister over him for showing talent at such a young age. Okay, so, review. Follow. Favorite. It took me the better part of the day to write this chapter since I was so hyped for this re-write. Have a great day or not the choice is yours!~**

**Regular Schedule: Thursday: Til Midnight.**


	3. A Whole New Level of Pain

**Happy New Year's Eve everyone! By the time this chapter goes up, some of you will have celebrated the arrival of 2020 so Happy New Year's! As promised, I will work as hard as I can on these chapters. But the most you'll probably get is two chapters per week for the rest of my holiday break. After that, we will resume our regular Thursday Airings. Anyway, since Demons don't exist in this version (it got too confusing to distinguish between Devils and Demons), the nature of Issei and the others will change. By others, I mean the children. Hope you enjoy Chapter 3 of the rewrite. **

**PS: For those of you who thought we were a good portion of the way in. 42 out of what I had planned that would amount to a good two hundred fifty-something to three hundred chapters isn't a lot. Arc 3 was supposed to be really long as was Arc 4 since there was some stuff lore-wise that we were supposed to cover.**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**October 13, 2019, Kuoh Academy, 10:30 AM**

* * *

"_You have reached Azazel, sexiest Fallen Angel known to Creation and God to women everywhere. You know what to do. Do it after the blorp."_

_Blorp~_

Issei sighed. This was the fifth time he had called Azazel today. Another wave of pain shot through him as he sat up in his chair. Against his sisters' and Kiba's protests, Issei insisted that he was fine to come to class today. A decision that he lived to regret. The pain was getting worse by the day. If Issei had to compare the pain from the first day to now, he would give it a rating of 20 compared to Day 1's 10.

**[Let's try again later. Maybe he's busy]** Ddraig said.

"_Yeah, maybe_," Issei said.

Issei focused on taking notes if only to take his attention away from the pain. The only plus side of this pain was the dreams. They disappeared as soon as the pain came. It was like his body couldn't conjure any more nightmares to terrorize his sleep with and resorted to try and fight off the Pieces.

Ddraig had mentioned to him when it started that the pieces were sapping his life force. Sapping didn't do the process justice. Draining was a better word to use. The damn pieces were draining his life faster than his body could replenish it. It started small. Aside from the pain, Issei experienced fatigue. He got tired more easily. During one of his contracts with Susan, Issei had collapsed on the job so Susan had to call one of his sisters to come and pick him up. As the days progressed, the fatigue evolved into weakness.

Issei found it harder to do things. Simple things such as doing his laundry, or cooking food. His body barely had the strength to do it. It took all of his strength just to walk to school. In addition, he was being mentally attacked by the pieces. Whispers every now and then of how he was worthless.

Issei sighed.

"_You know I can hear them. The Pieces. They keep telling me how worthless I am. How Rias, Akeno, Xenovia, Ravel, and Koneko were right to leave me. How pathetic I was when I ran instead of barging in there and killing the guy," _Issei said.

**[Don't think such negative thoughts partner. We'll figure this out]** Ddraig said.

"_I hope so. At this point, I just hope I can live to see tomorrow,_" Issei said. "_Any luck halting the Pieces?"_

**[No. However, they seem to be going at a steady pace. At this rate, you'll be dead by the end of next week. Maybe after that if we're lucky]** Ddraig said.

"_Kind of a dumb way to die_," Issei said. He looked out the window and saw Koneko and Ravel's class outside for Gym.

**[What are you thinking about, Issei?]**

"_My situation. I never thought they would do this,_" Issei said.

**[It would explain why they were so distant.]**

"_Yeah_," he said. Issei looked up at the clock when he heard the bell ring. Ashley stopped lecturing and bid them all a good lunch. She sent Issei a worried glance before leaving the room, most likely to eat lunch with the other teachers.

"Aniki, are you alright?"

Issei turned to see his sister looking at him with a concerned gaze. Her beautiful brown eyes scanned his frail form.

"I'm fine. Just tired," Issei said.

"I snuck some Morphine into school. I'll give you some after you eat," Mitsuki said.

"Thanks, Mii-chan," Issei said.

"Nii-san, I have your lunch," the two turned to see Asia holding out a wrapped bento. Issei graciously accepted it and unwrapped the box.

As Issei ate, he tried to ignore the pain that would come whenever he swallowed. He could feel every ounce of it in every cell in his skin. Asia and Mitsuki ate alongside him, watching him carefully in case something happened.

Issei placed his chopsticks down and burped a little.

"At least the food stayed down this time," Issei said.

"Here," Mitsuki handed him his Morphine pill. She pulled out a water bottle and uncapped it, placing it next to Issei as he downed the pill. He grabbed the water bottle and washed the pill down.

Issei sighed. It worked. Somewhat. While it didn't take away the pain completely, it removed a little bit of it and that little bit was a lot to Issei.

"Are you feeling better?" Asia asked as she eyed him.

"Yeah. Your date treat you okay?" Issei asked as he put his head down.

"He was fine. Eren is… a Sacred Gear Holder," Asia said.

Mitsuki and Issei's eyes widened.

"Does he know?" Issei asked.

"N- No," she confessed. "I don't know how to tell him."

"I think you'll need Rias's help on this one," Issei said.

"Yeah, I might. Look Nii-san. I don't want you to continue picking up contracts. I'll have Koneko pick up your load," Asia said.

"I can stil-!"

"No, you can't. I don't want you to die during a contract. Just go get some rest," Asia said. "I'll check on you every now and then with Twilight Healing to try and heal some of your organs."

"Thanks, Asia," Issei said.

"Hey, guys."

They turned to see Kiba walking towards them. Over the past two days, Kiba, along with Mitsuki and Asia, had been keeping an eye on Issei. He spent most of the day in bed, sleeping to ignore the pain or curled up in a fetal position on the floor.

"I got a call from Irina last night," Kiba said.

"Really? What did she say?" Issei asked.

"She was hysterical. You weren't answering your phone or your circle," Kiba answered.

"I couldn't do anything," Issei said flatly.

"We know and we told her what happened. Or at least what you're going through. What did happen? You were fine before you ran off," Kiba said.

"I…," Issei trailed off. What was he supposed to say? That Rias and Akeno were seeing another man behind his back?

"Look, you can tell us later. All you need to know is that your Super Bestie Better Than The Restie is worried out of her wits about you," Kiba said.

"I'll give her a call when I get home. Let me just power through the day first. We have a test that I can't miss," Issei said.

Issei started to cough violently, causing his friends to look at him in concern. Issei looked at his hand to see blood splattered all over them.

"Aniki," Mitsuki said, horrified at the sight.

"We have to get you to the Nurse's Office. Knowing Amaranth-sensei, she'll probably excuse you from the test," Kiba said as he helped Issei to his feet. The two exited the room with Asia and Mitsuki following them closely.

* * *

**Occult Research Club, 11:51 AM**

* * *

Tatsuya sighed as he waited alongside Rias and Akeno for everyone to arrive. The redhead was rapping her fingers against what was once her desk impatiently as they waited for everyone. Akeno merely sipped her tea in silence, relaxing for once. Papers and requests from the staff on top of school work was a hassle to have.

"Where are they?" Rias asked. A Communications Circle (CC) appeared next to her ear. She swiped it answering the call.

"Yes?" Rias said.

"_Rias-Oneesama. Yuuto and I will be running late. Issei is in the Nurse's office right now as he had… a little accident. Nothing too serious but I think the Kendo Club hit him too hard over the head and the nurse wants him to stay in case he has a concussion,_" Asia said.

"Oh. Sure. Will Issei be okay?" Rias asked.

"_Mhm. Before I forget… I would like to bring someone to the meeting,_" Asia said.

"Oh? Who?" Rias asked, curious.

"_My boyfriend_," she said.

Akeno nearly did a spit take when she heard that. Rias's eyes widened in surprise. Asia and the word boyfriend did not fall together in the same sentence. Not when her siblings were Issei and Mitsuki.

"Um, does Issei know?" Rias asked nervously.

"_Yes. Nii-san allowed him to date me after a series of interrogations done by him and Nee-san_," Asia said.

"May I ask why you want him here?" Rias asked.

"_I think he's a Sacred Gear Wielder_," Asia said.

"I see. Bring him here," Rias said.

"_Thank you_," Asia said as she cut the link.

Rias rested her hands on her chin and looked up when the door opened. Xenovia walked in followed by a man with red hair and violet eyes. He had an athletic build with large but not beefy arms that showed that he had arm strength. Tatsuya wagered that he was in Kendo.

"Ah, Xenovia, you're here," Rias said cheerfully.

"Good to be here. Right, this is Yuu Nakiri. He's the son of two famous chefs," Xenovia said.

"Hello. I'm Yuu Nakiri. Pleased to meet all of you," Yuu said, bowing.

"Where are the others?" Xenovia asked, sitting down.

"We're here," the emotionless voice of Koneko called from the door. She walked in alongside Ravel. Behind them was a boy with greyish-blonde hair and grey eyes following them. He looked wide-eyed as he walked inside.

Rias immediately narrowed her eyes.

_A Demigod?_ She thought.

"Is everyone here?" Ravel asked.

"No, we're still waiting on-"

"Me and Yuuto," Asia said as she walked in. Kiba followed shortly behind her talking to a man with black hair and green eyes. He was unlike the rest of them. He was completely human. No special heritage save for the odd energy signature that emanated from him.

"This is Eren Yatogami. My… boyfriend," Asia said, blushing as she introduced him.

"Um, hi," Eren said nervously.

_Come on Yatogami! You survived her siblings! You can survive her friends!_ Eren thought. Kiba placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him down.

"That's everyone," Rias said, clapping her hands.

"No, it's not. Where's Issei?" Xenovia asked.

"Issei is in the Nurse's office. He's being kept there because the nurse thinks Inori-san hit him too hard in the head and he might have a concussion," Kiba said.

"Oh," Xenovia said. "I hope he's okay."

Asia and Kiba stiffened at the mention of Issei.

"Right, anyway, thank you for coming. The reason I called this meeting is because of one thing. Onii-sama told me that Issei is being considered for high class! Isn't this wonderful?" Rias said.

"Nii-san? High-Class?" Asia asked.

"Wait, what's high-class?" Eren asked.

"Oh right. I forgot. Ahem. Eren Yatogami. Tatsuya Seimei. Yuu Nakiri. Hiruko Yukikaze. In addition to this joyous celebration, you four are here because of something. After Issei is promoted, his spot will open up and you four shall take his place. As for what I mean by that," Rias stood up and face them.

_PAH!_

Two black bat-like wings sprouted from her back.

"You four have been chosen to become the newest members of Team Gremory! May our time together be as fruitful as our relationships!" Rias said.

Asia noticed something in Rias's eyes. A trick of the light maybe? She snapped out of her musings when she felt her boyfriend's palpable fear.

"D- Devils? She's joking right?" Eren asked.

Asia shook her head. She extended her own wings and stood nervously in front of Eren.

"Everyone in this room, except for you four, are devils," Asia said. Her green eyes looked at him. She looked so vulnerable. "Will you still accept me despite knowing what I am?"

Eren gulped. He had to admit. She looked hotter with her wings out. However, his thoughts of roleplay were squashed when he remembered what the Hyoudou Twins had explicitly told him.

"_Hurt our sister," Issei said._

"_And we hurt you," Mitsuki finished as the two let out a potent aura of killing intent._

Eren had no intention of hurting Asia. He had fallen in love with her for her kindness and no amount of wings could make him run. Eren smiled and hugged her.

"I'll always be by your side," Eren said.

"Eren," Asia said as she wrapped her arms around him. Her eyes were half-lidded as she leaned up and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

"WOO!"

The two flew apart and turned to see Ravel and Akeno clapping.

"Ahem," Rias coughed. "Can we continue?"

Eren and Asia looked down, both beet red.

"Right, so as Asia said. Everyone in this room is a devil," she said.

"Y- You're not going to steal our souls are you?" Hiruko asked.

Rias giggled. That never got old. "No, that was abolished by the Original Lucifer for reasons I can't fathom," Rias said.

"Anyway, before Rias goes into a tirade about how much she studied Lucifer-sama. Allow me to explain another reason as to why we decided to meet. Other than Tatsuya. You've all been noticed to have something inside of you. A Sacred Gear," Akeno said.

Tatsuya looked at her confused.

"What's a Sacred Gear?" he asked.

"Sacred Gear are tools created by the Biblical God," Rias winced at the slight headache, "As part of His system to enact miracles upon the Earth. Only humans or human hybrids can be born with Sacred Gears."

"Why tell us?" Yuu asked. There had to be some sort of catch.

"Right, my brother, the current Lucifer, told me that in a few days, the Pantheons will be voting on the creation of an annual worldwide tournament in which teams compete for a prize. The prize is a wish that can be granted by the Gods," Rias said. "We decided to have a bigger edge in battle by adding more to our forces."

"So you're using us?" Tatsuya asked.

"No, dear. We're not. We were just informed of this a few hours ago," Akeno said, soothing Tatsuya.

"So we're going to compete? Will we need to train for this? Is there anything we need to know about devil society?" Yuu asked.

"To answer your first two questions. Yes, we will be. And third, I shall explain. Devil Society is split into ranks which indicates your societal status, political power, and more often than not though this isn't always the case, power. The Devil Ranking System goes as follows: Low, Middle, High, Ultimate, and Satan. I am a High-Class Devil and a Duke bearing the name Gremory," Rias explained.

"So you're nobility?" Eren asked.

"Yes, that's a simpler way to put it," Rias said.

"So what class would we be if we accept?" Hiruko asked.

"You would be Low-Class but don't worry. You can climb the ranks like Issei did," Rias said.

"Wait, Issei is a devil? Is Mitsuki a devil too?" Eren asked.

"Yes," Akeno said. "Issei and Mitsuki are Middle-Class Devils on paper only. In reality, the two are Ultimate Class Devils, possibly even Satan Class at their full powers," Akeno said.

Eren paled when he heard that. He could picture it now. The Hyoudou Twins killing him in various gruesome ways.

"Any other questions?" Rias asked.

"Umm, how do we awaken this Sacred Gear?" Hiruko asked.

"We'll discuss that after we discuss the training regimen," Rias said.

A CC popped up next to Asia's ear.

"Um, Eren. Is it okay if you stay here while I go check on Nii-san?" Asia said as she cut the CC.

"Oh sure. Give Issei my regards," Eren said. Asia smiled and tiptoed to plant a kiss on his cheek before leaving the room.

"Ara, ara. Asia is so daring," Akeno said. "I wonder how much more daring she'll be when you two give each other your precious purity for the first time."

Eren sputtered upon hearing Akeno's words.

* * *

**3:45 PM, Kuoh Town**

* * *

Mitsuki walked right next to her brother as the two made their way home. Rias had called Asia and Kiba to the clubroom again for another meeting. That left Mitsuki to walk home with Issei.

"So, you're getting promoted huh, Aniki?" Mitsuki said, remembering what Asia had told them.

"I would cheer but everything hurts," Issei said as he tried not to fall from another one of the pain attacks.

"We really need to get those Pieces out of you," Mitsuki commented. Her eyes traveled to some dark vein-like markings that were spreading across Issei's neck.

"When did those start?" she asked, gesturing to the veins on Issei's neck.

"This morning," Issei said.

"Do they hurt at all?" Mitsuki asked.

"No, but looking at them makes me feel… like I'm going to die," Issei said.

"Aniki…," she said. Mitsuki looked down.

"What is it?" Issei asked, sensing his twin's distress.

"I got a call from Seekvaira-sama earlier today. I think it might have something to do with the tournament thing that Asia mentioned when she came back to check on you," Mitsuki said.

"This is for training right?" Issei asked.

Mitsuki nodded. She didn't want to leave. Not when Issei was like this.

"It's okay Mii-chan. I don't think I can participate anyway because of my… condition," Issei said.

"Um. Aniki, are you sure that you'll be-!"

"Don't worry about a thing. Irina is coming home in a day and Kiba and Asia are here to look after me if things decide to go south," Issei said, waving off her worries.

Mitsuki looked at him, unsure of what to do when she sighed.

"Okay. But remember to call me," she said.

"When are you leaving?" Issei asked.

"Tonight. After I make you dinner," she said.

"I can cook."

"Yeah but not in that condition."

"You're not Kaa-san."

"Yeah but sometimes I feel like it. Especially now."

Issei and Mitsuki erupted in laughter as they reached the gates. Issei clutched his side in pain as they walked.

"It… hurts to laugh!" Issei said between groans of pain and laughter.

"Then don't," Mitsuki said as she opened the door.

Issei sat down at the table while Mitsuki microwaved some hot and ready foods for them to eat. The two ate dinner in comfortable silence with Issei bringing up his promotion and their training now and then.

"So when do you think I'll get my evil pieces?" Issei asked.

"Probably after whatever this is," Mitsuki said.

"Come to think of it. Saji looked like someone beat the crap out of him when he walked to class," Issei said.

"Hmmm? Oh yeah, he did didn't he," Mitsuki said.

"Must be a big tournament if Sona is training her peerage to death like that," Issei said as he swallowed his food.

A CC appeared in front of Mitsuki with the Agares Clan Symbol on it. She sighed.

"Duty calls," she said.

"Call of Duty. But nevermind that. Be careful," Issei said.

"That's my line. Take care Aniki. DON'T FORGET TO CALL!" Mitsuki said as she was enveloped in a flash of green light.

**[Are you going to call Irina?]** Ddraig asked as Issei hobbled up the stairs to his room.

"Yeah. Just let me try and call Sensei or Ajuka one more time," Issei said. He formed a CC and selected Azazel's contact.

_Ring_

_Ring_

_Ring_

"_You have reached Azazel, sexiest Fallen Angel known to Creation and God to women everywhere. You know what to do. Do it after the blorp."_

_Blorp~_

As Issei was about to speak, his vision warped. Ddraig's screams were drowned out as Issei could only focus on the sight before him. In the middle of the room was the head of a girl mounted on a metal pike. She had long, chestnut hair that was styled in twin tails. Her eyes, which would have been bright and full of life, now resembled cloudy, misty, purple glass. Her mouth was open in mute horror while her dead eyes mocked Issei. Mocked him for his powerlessness. Blood dripped down the spike, staining the floor a dark crimson. Issei fell to his knees as tears streamed down his face.

"Irina?" Issei asked. His hands shakily reached out to touch the head.

**[ISSEI SNAP OUT IT! THIS ISN'T REAL!] ** Ddraig yelled.

"They killed her…. They killed her!" Issei said as he sobbed.

"Hehehe… ha ha ha… AHAHAHAHA!" Issei laughed with clear insanity in his voice as he began to grip his head in sheer despair and agony. His eyes were wide as tears continued to pour from them.

"She's dead Ddraig!" Issei said as he laughed and cried at the same time.

Ddraig could only watch in horror as Issei continued to descend into despair.

"Issei."

Issei looked up as the head began to speak to him. The head smiled warmly as its lifeless eyes bore into his soul.

"Issei. It's lonely here. Please don't leave me alone," it said.

"I- Irina?" Issei asked in a quavering voice.

**[Partner! Snap out of it!]** Ddraig screamed.

"Ddraig! It's Irina. She wants me to join her! M- Maybe I should," Issei said.

He summoned the **[Boosted Gear]**.

**[Blade]**

Ascalon materialized in his hand and Issei brought it up to his throat.

"ISSEI NO!"

Issei dropped Ascalon as he felt himself get tackled to the ground. Issei fought against his attacker but his weakened state prevented him from overpowering whoever attacked him.

"K- Kiba?" Issei said as Kiba's face came into view.

"Dammnit! What the hell was that!? You were about to slit your own damn throat!" Kiba yelled.

"Irina, she-!" Issei looked to where the pike with his best friend's head was only to see… nothing.

"No, no, no. They're getting worse!" Issei said as he curled up into a ball.

Kiba looked at him sadly and saw an active CC next to Issei. He sighed as he ended the call and swiped the circle away.

"I'll be right back, Issei! Don't do anything!" Kiba said as he ran out. He thanked whatever higher power that the person he was looking for was just down the hall.

"Asia!"

Said girl turned around and looked at him curiously. She was carrying a tray of food, presumably to bring down to the basement. Rias and the others were there with the boys as she had decided to begin training to get as much progress before the games.

"Eh? Kiba-kun?" Asia said as she held the tray.

"Asia. Issei… *_pant_*... Issei!"

"Nii-san? What happened?" Asia asked as a pit began to form in her stomach.

"He just tried to slit his own damn throat!" Kiba said.

Asia dropped the tray in shock and immediately made a beeline for Issei's room with Kiba hot on her trail.

He formed his own CC and located Irina's contact. Kiba hit the call function immediately and waited patiently for her to answer.

_Ring_

_Ring_

_Rin-!_

"_Hello?_" Irina's chirpy voice could be heard from the circle.

"Irina. Thank Maou you answered!" Kiba said in relief as he entered Issei's room with Asia. Issei was still curled up in a ball on the floor as Asia whispered soothing words into his ear while hugging him tightly.

"Irina. You need to come home immediately!" Kiba said.

"_Eh? What's wrong? What happened?_" Irina asked.

"Issei. Something went wrong. His pieces. They're making him see things. I don't know what Issei just saw but he just tried to slit his throat!" Kiba said.

"_WHAT!?_" Irina screeched.

"You need to come home!" Kiba said.

"_R- Right! We just finished up! I'll go and drop off my report and head there! Just give me twenty minutes!_" Irina said.

"Right. We'll try to keep Issei stable until then," Kiba said as a warm liquid flowed from his hands. He clenched his fist tightly enough to draw blood.

Irina cut the link and Kiba knelt next to Issei.

Asia had fresh tears flowing from her face as Issei passed out on her lap.

"Do they know?" Kiba asked.

Asia shook her head.

"They didn't even ask where he was," she said.

"What's going on with them? First, they find new boyfriends and now… I mean you saw how they interact with Issei. It was like normal except that it's…," Kiba trailed off.

"I know," Asia said as she stroked Issei's hair softly. With her other hand, she formed a CC and dialed Mitsuki.

"You're going to tell her?" Kiba asked.

"She's my sister. She needs to know what happened to our brother," Asia said as she heard Mitsuki's voice.

"Nee-san?" Asia said nervously.

"_Yes?_" Mitsuki said. Heavy breaths could be heard alongside an explosion in the background.

"You need to come home. Nii-san… he… he just tried to hurt himself," Asia said, eyeing Ascalon.

"_Hurt himself? How?_" Mitsuki asked, her voice becoming slightly frantic. "_In fact, can someone tell me what the hell happened? All I felt was hopelessness and despair just now from Aniki!_"

"Mitsuki," Kiba spoke. "Issei just tried to kill himself."

A green flash appeared behind them as Mitsuki, in her training clothes which consisted of blue track pants and a grey hoodie with a white shirt underneath, ran over to Issei and Asia.

"Aniki!" Mitsuki said.

"We called Irina already. She'll be here in…," Kiba looked at the clock in Issei's room.

"She'll be here in seven minutes," he said.

Mitsuki nodded as she gripped Issei's hand.

* * *

**Heaven**

* * *

Irina ran frantically through the first Heaven with Griselda and Dulio trailing behind her. Her mind was focused on one thing: Issei. Ever since she got that call from Kiba, Irina had teleported immediately to Heaven.

"Irina, slow down!" Dulio yelled.

Irina ignored him in favor of her destination. The Axis Mundi, an ever-shifting dimensional pathway in Heaven that lead to the other levels of Heaven. The Axis Mundi appeared differently to all people. To Irina, it appeared as a road with a night sky. She immediately ran up the road and projected her thoughts into the Axis.

_Sixth Heaven! Sixth Heaven!_

A door appeared in front of Irina and she burst through surprising all of the occupants in the room. A man stood up and eyed her curiously. The man was very handsome, having long blonde hair and green eyes. Atop his head sat a golden halo and on his back were twelve white and gold wings. He wore white and red robes with golden pauldrons and white sashes with crosses embroidered into the sashes.

"Irina-kun," the man said.

"Michael-sama! Here's my report! I'm sorry but I have to leave. I just got a call that Issei si sick with Dragon Pox!" Irina said.

"Ara? Issei-chan is sick?" a woman said from next to Michael. The woman had long blonde hair, green eyes, and a massive pair on her chest. She wore a white robe-like dress and had twelve massive snow white and blue wings on her back.

"Yes, Gabriel-sama! Now, if I may excuse myself," Irina said, bowing.

"Um, yeah?" Gabriel and Michael said as they waved. Irina disappeared in a flutter of wings, leaving behind a few white feathers. A few moments later, Griselda and Dulio burst through the door, completely out of breath.

"Damn! *_pant_* The girl can run! Oh! I need to catch my breath," Dulio said as he fell on his butt, taking in large amounts of air.

"Mind telling us what just happened?" another man said. The man wore a green cape and had shaggy black hair with emerald green eyes that seemed to constantly shine with annoyance. Under his cape, he wore a black shirt and black pants. Over his shirt was a metal breastplate with a small cross that had amethysts embedded into it at the top of the breastplate. His halo was green as opposed to Gabriel's blue and Michael's gold halos. On his back were twelve chrome wings with a green tint.

"We're just as in the dark as you are, Raphael-sama," Griselda said as she caught her breath.

"Well, she is your student, Raphi," Gabriel teased.

"At least someone wants to learn under me you airheaded chicken," Raphael fired back.

"Shut up you stuck up pigeon," Gabriel retorted.

"Retarded Parrot."

"Friendless Ostrich."

"Okay, shut up you two!" Michael said.

"But, Onii-sama! Raphael is calling me names!" Gabriel whined, pouting angrily while she pointed at the calm Archangel behind her.

"Can't take a joke you flightless bird," Raphael said, snickering.

Michael facepalmed.

_How the hell did Onee-sama ever put up with us!?_ Michael thought.

"Do any of you know why Irina just ran off?" Michael asked, looking specifically at his joker.

"Er… no. She got a call about Issei. That's about it," Dulio answered.

"Hmm, she said Issei had Dragon Pox right?" Raphael asked.

"She did," Gabriel said.

"Then, she'll be fine. I'll send Risa over to her with some medicine later," Raphael said as he walked off.

"Eh? Why not now?" Michael asked.

"I'm having her investigating an anomaly," Raphael said, turning around. He pulled a small gem out of his pocket and channeled his Grace, the integral energy inherent in all Angels, and the gem lit up and projected an image.

"T- That's impossible!" Michael said as the blurry image of a man and woman could be seen walking down the street.

"It is. It's why she's there," Raphael said.

"I'll bring it up at the meeting," Michael said.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, 6:45 PM**

* * *

Irina burst through the front door. She immediately formed a light ring when she heard someone yelp. Irina turned and saw a boy with black hair and green eyes wearing a green hoodie and grey track pants.

"Who are you?" Irina asked.

"Um, I'm Eren! I'm Asia's boyfriend! Please don't kill me!" Eren said, raising his arms.

"Asia got a boyfriend? And Issei and Mitsuki didn't rip you in half? You know what nevermind that. I'll dig into this later," Irina said, leaving the boy in the living room as she ran up the stairs.

_Come on Issei. Please be okay!_ She thought as she rounded the corner to see Issei's room. She practically kicked the door down as she entered and saw Kiba sitting in a chair while Asia inspected Issei. Mitsuki stroked her brother's hair as he slept soundly. Irina could make out tear streaks on his cheeks, indicating that he had been crying.

"Issei!" Irina grabbed Issei's hand and gripped it. Issei responded by squeezing her hand back, bringing a small smile to her face.

"Asia, wake him up," Mitsuki said.

"Wait, shouldn't we let him rest?" Asia asked.

"Irina is here. Maybe she can help him out of this," Mitsuki said.

"No need," Issei said as he sat up. His hazel eyes trailed to the figure next to him. Issei's eyes widened and he pulled Irina into a tight hug.

"Eh? Issei-kun?" Irina said as Issei's embrace got tighter. She felt his tears fall onto her skin as the sounds of soft crying was heard across the room. Irina frowned as she began to rub soothing circles on his back.

"I'm so glad you're alive," Issei whispered.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Irina asked.

"Issei, what happened? Why would you do something like that?" Kiba asked.

**[I can tell you]** Ddraig said, making his presence known.

"No," Issei said as he pulled out of the hug and wiped his tears. "I'll do it. I think you all should know what happened."

"What exactly happened in the five days I was gone?" Irina asked

"I followed Rias and Akeno to their college to try and spend some time with them because we barely get to spend any time together since they were so busy with everything. On top of that, I was being paranoid, though, in this instance, I was right," Issei said.

"Paranoid about what?" Mitsuki asked him.

"They were seeing someone… behind my back," Issei said quietly.

"So that's who they were," Kiba said.

"They?" Issei asked.

"Earlier, when Rias-oneesama called a meeting, it was because of those boys. Since you were getting promoted to high class, she would get your pawn pieces back. I'm guessing she plans on reincarnating them," Asia said.

"Well, that and the tournament," Kiba added.

"Right, so she brought them? Here?" Mitsuki said, shaking in anger.

"Yes, though only for training," Asia said. "She's trying to get them to unlock their Sacred Gears. Eren's down there too."

"We're getting off track. So after I found out, Ddraig said that my mental instability… triggered something," he said. Issei moved his collar aside to reveal the thick black veins that were spreading across his body.

Irina gasped, noticing them for the first time while Asia, Kiba, and Mitsuki blanched. It was worse than they had thought.

"Trihexa left me with a parting gift. It attached its aura to my pieces which would trigger when I was… vulnerable," Issei said.

**[There were also microscopic fragments of Loki's Curse but his body purged it immediately. The Trihexa Aura, however… is a different story.]** Ddraig said.

"Different how?" Asia asked.

"It's killing me," Issei said, shocking them. "Ddraig estimated that by the end of next week, maybe after that if I'm lucky, I'll be dead. Completely drained of my life force."

"We have to call Ajuka or Azazel! They can remove your pieces safely and-!" Irina was cut off.

"We tried," Mitsuki said. "No one's home."

Irina gritted her teeth and stood. "So you're all just giving up! Issei is going to die in a week!" she yelled furiously.

**[No, we're not. There may be hope but the risks are very dangerous if we go through with it]** Ddraig said.

"What? What is it?" Kiba asked in a hopeful tone.

"You won't like it," Issei said.

**[Issei and I are going to sever the connection that his Pieces have to his soul.]** Ddraig said.

"Wait? That's going to kill him!" Mitsuki protested.

"There's a chance I'll live through it though," Issei said.

**[Yes, inside Issei, there is a peculiar energy that is similar to the Demonic Energy that Devils wield. For now, I'll refer to it as Miasma but Issei's body seems to have it in spades.]** Ddraig said.

"Wait, if Issei had this sort of energy, then why have we never felt it?" Kiba asked.

"Ddraig said that it could be my body's response to my Pieces. My body is generating energy to counteract it," Issei said.

**[Yes. This energy could be our salvation. Once Issei severs a Piece, he has to pour some of that energy into the void left by the removal for his soul to kickstart its regeneration process to heal the wound left by said piece.]** Ddraig explained.

"But, the procedure is extremely dangerous. One false move and I die," Issei said. "But it's the only option we have at the moment. And I for one can't wait for Sensei and Ajuka-sama to not be AFK anymore."

The others looked down, contemplating their responses. Finally, after a few minutes of tense silence, Kiba spoke up.

"I think you should go through with it," he said.

"Kiba…," Irina said.

"Think about it. What does Issei have left to lose?" Kiba said.

Issei smiled and nodded.

"But what if he dies!?" Irina protested.

"I won't. I promise," Issei said.

"Aniki," Mitsuki said. Asia just looked at her adoptive brother sadly.

"Fine, but that doesn't mean I like this," Irina said, crossing her arms.

"I guess I have no choice either," Mitsuki said.

"Me too," Asia said.

**[Right, so Issei and I will do this in an unspecified location so he can have privacy. I reckon that there will be a visible amount of energy given off during the procedure. Also, Asia. We'll need you there.]** Ddraig said.

"Me? Why?" Asia asked.

**[Issei will be fighting the Pieces inside his body and by fighting, I mean like go in there and physically battle them. The Pieces, thanks to the Beast's energy, have gained some form of autonomy and behave like parasites. Like any parasite, it will defend itself in an attempt to stay bound to its host. Any wound Issei receives while in his soul will be mirrored in the physical world so we need you to heal the wounds Issei will sustain.]** Ddraig said.

"I'll go too," Irina said.

Issei nodded.

"You two stay here and keep the others distracted," Issei said.

Kiba and Mitsuki looked at Issei before nodding in resignation.

Issei gave them a nod before struggling to his feet. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out two objects. Issei walked back over and placed a bottle in between them and a small sphere with buttons.

"Asia. These are pills that will replenish your energy. Sensei made them from a hybrid of Phenex Tears and water from the River Phlegethon in the Greco-Roman Underworld," Issei said.

Asia grabbed the pills and pocketed them.

"What's the recorder for?" Irina asked.

"I need to do this next part alone. It's just in case," Issei said. They grimaced at the thought but agreed and left the room.

**[Recording a suicide note. I'm getting vibes from that one show on Netflix.]** Ddraig commented.

"You're thinking of _Thirteen Reasons Why_," Issei said as he pressed the record button.

* * *

Irina, Kiba, Mitsuki, and Asia waited outside for Issei. Every word he spoke made them wince. He sounded so hopeless. After a few minutes of being tortured by Issei's words, Issei's door opened and he walked out. With a determined look on his face, Issei smiled a genuine smile for the first time in two days.

"Let's do this."

* * *

**London, England**

* * *

A woman walked over and sat on the couch. The woman was beautiful. She had toxic yellow eyes and hair that was a lovely shade of red, almost like blood. Her figure was voluptuous and she wore a black girl's high school uniform with a beige shirt inside. She looked at her brother. Her brother was a fairly tall man with short black hair and two horn-like cowlicks that stood above his head. Like her, he had toxic yellow eyes and wore a white cloak with black embroidery at the seams and a black long-sleeved shirt with white pants. Her brother was currently eating the family's food.

"Can't you just leave their food alone?" she snapped, her golden eyes glowing in response to her anger.

He looked at her with pot roast around his lips. She looked disgusted. He rolled his eyes and said, "C'mon sis. We can't just let this food rot. It's a waste. Plus, this family makes a mean roast right ma?"

The brother looked at the mutilated corpse of the mother laying on the floor. Her jaw was dislocated with her tongue ripped out. Her torso was ripped open and her organs were spilled all over the floor. Her face was nearly untouched save for her eyes and mouth. He grinned and shoved a spoonful in her mouth.

"Whatever, now what do we have here," she said. Her smile twisted into a sick grin. Before her, there sat two people. The two were an eighteen-year-old boy and his little sister of about six or seven. The boy wrapped his arms around the girl. Without warning, the woman grabbed the girl. The boy charged but the woman glanced at him and he went flying and was pinned to the wall. She caressed the girl's face as tears began streaming out.

"Please miss. Let us go," the girl said beginning to sob.

"Aww, you said let me go. Tell you what hun. I'll let you choose. I kill you and let your brother go or kill your brother and let you go. You have ten seconds," she said.

"Please! We'll do anything!"

"Ten"

"No no no!"

"Nine"

The girl was still sobbing and begging.

"Eight"

"No!"

"Seven"

The girl punched her in the face. This surprised the woman and she let go. Her older brother fell and he grabbed her and run.

"Lily, don't look, Just keep your he- Urk!", he looked down and saw a massive blade of pure energy jutting out of his chest. The blade warped and the boy's body was lifted and shredded to pieces. His blood rained on the little girl who watched on as her big brother was ripped in front of her.

"That wasn't very nice little girl", the woman calmly walked towards her. She stared at the pieces that were once her brother and then let out a blood-curdling scream. Her sclera turned pitch black and her blue eyes shined and pulsated with power. The woman had to cover her face since the girl was emitting so much power that she was practically glowing, a blue aura of light was shining around her and the woman felt as her skin began to burn. All of a sudden, the little girl was wrapped in a black mist and disappeared.

"Tch", the woman scoffed. She escaped. The little girl was one of them then. Her brother walked to her looking satisfied.

"She got away huh,'' he said. The brother bent down and ripped the mother's arm off and took a bite out of it.

"Are you eating the mom?" she said to her brother in an irritated manner.

"Yes?"

She sighed. She really hated her brother sometimes. He could be such a glutton.

"Whatever, plenty of fish in the sea as they say. Let's find the others but first, we gotta erase the crime scene," the woman said. She stretched out her palm and a blue flame manifested. She let forth a deluge of blue fire all over the house, setting it ablaze. The lights in the surrounding houses went on as onlookers began to call the fire department. The two exited the house, through the back and disappeared in a cloud of black mist.

However, they didn't notice a pair of red eyes watching them. Risa sat there, trying to process what she just saw. Those two. Power rolled off them in waves. And the little girl. What was she? The power she had matched that of an S-Rank High-Class Being.

_I need to report this to Azrael-sama_, she thought and flew towards Kuoh, Japan at breakneck speeds.

* * *

**Welp, that's the end of Chapter 3! I hope you all enjoyed. Review. Favorite. Follow. All that good shit. Anyway, have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours! Also, Happy New Year's!**


	4. Operation: KMS

**HAHAHAHAHAH! The new chapter of ze rewrite! I hope you're all enjoying this. This is the chapter that's also known as Operation: KMS from the original version. Don't worry... it's not a mirror copy granted there are moments of this that are similar. Anyway, I'll let ya'll read.**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Greco-Roman Underworld, Throne of Hades**

* * *

"Nico," a man sat on the throne holding a bident. The man had shoulder-length black hair and extremely pale skin. He wore a black suit. His pitch-black eyes looked up from his tablet as another man who looked like a miniature version of the man on the throne kneeled in front of him.

"Father," Nico said. "We've detected a massive amount of power enter the Underworld."

"Do you recognize this power?" a woman asked. She had back length blonde hair that curled at the end and electric blue eyes. She wore black robes and had a miniature three-headed dog sleeping on her lap.

Nico shook his head.

"My lord Hades. Should we not investigate this?" the woman asked.

Hades placed a hand on his chin as he thought of what to do next. An explosion rocked the entire throne room, causing Hades to hop to his feet.

"Nico. Take Persephone and find the troops," Hades said as he grabbed his bident.

"Father?"

"Do it," Hades ordered. Nico nodded and ran over to Persephone, grabbing her arm.

"Hades?"

"Just go!" Hades said. Persephone frowned but nodded. She yanked her arm from Nico's grasp and placed a hand on his shoulder. The two disappeared in a flash of violet light.

Hades stood as the door to his throne room began to glow red. The doors burst open as they corroded into nothing. A hooded figure walked into the room and cast their scarlet gaze on the God of the Dead.

"Who are you to dare attack my realm?" Hades said, flaring an aura of power that shook the entire Greco-Roman Underworld while pointing his bident at the hooded figure.

"Surely, you didn't forget about me Hades?" the figure said in a silky, smooth voice.

Hades' eyes widened in surprise and slight terror.

"You?"

* * *

**October 13, 2019, Hyoudou Manor, 7:25 PM**

* * *

"Do we have everything?" Issei asked. Irina paused before looking down at her backpack.

"We have the pills. Sleeping bag for you to lie down on. A couple of snacks which include some Doritos, a couple of boxes of Poki, some Funyuns, several cups of ramen and I think Asia said she is bringing a magic-powered portable stove," Irina said as she rezipped the backpack back up.

"I'm done!" Asia said as she ran over wearing a green hoodie and black track pants. "I'm ready!"

"Asia?"

The three turned to see Eren standing in the hallway.

"Where are you guys going?" he asked.

"Nii-san needs me to go with him and Irina to the Underworld to help him achieve a new form of his Balance Breaker. Since I'm the team healer, I kind of have to go," Asia said.

"Oh. I understand. Have fun then!" Eren said, though his posture slouched a little.

"Eren. I'll only be there for a couple of hours. After that, I'll be back here," Asia said, walking over and planting a kiss on his cheek.

Eren smiled a goofy smile before nodding.

"She has him wrapped around her finger," Irina whispered to Issei.

Issei just nodded, holding himself back. Asia dating someone was still something he and Mitsuki had to get used to.

"You ready?" Issei asked.

Asia nodded.

"Remember. Form a Transportation Circle and don't-!"

"Don't specify the location got it," Irina said as she formed a blue magic circle that enveloped the three and they disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Eren just stood there awkwardly before downing the rest of his water.

"I DID IT!"

He turned when he heard Yuu's voice coming from the basement.

_Right. Got to unlock my gear! I have to prove myself to be enough for Asia!_ Eren thought as he ran to the basement.

* * *

**Appalachian Mountains, Monongahela National Forest, Virginia, US, 5:30 AM**

* * *

A flash of blue light illuminated the forest as every animal in a fifty-foot radius froze, sensing the change in the air. Irina, Issei, and Asia appeared in a clearing in the middle of a group of pine trees. Asia spotted a deer running off as soon as she made eye contact with it. A soft orange glow cast its light on the trees.

"Come on. I see a cave off in the distance," Irina said as she began to walk. She summoned a sword. Its blade was silver and shined with a soft white glow while its guard was gold and with a black handle and a small blue gem on its pommel.

"What's the sword for?" Issei asked as he and Asia walked behind her.

"In case there's bears," she said.

Issei and Asia nodded as they approached the cave. The cave itself was dug into the cliffside. The opening was large enough to allow for a full-grown man to enter with very little difficulty. The cavern was larger than what the entrance had suggested as the inside was at least 20 feet in height. The length of the cavern was 100 feet to the back which was a dead end. The floor was littered with the bones of small animals, suggesting that something had made its home there. Irina unzipped her backpack and laid out a sleeping bag.

"Are you two ready?" Issei asked as he took off his shoes and laid down on the sleeping bag. Asia and Irina nodded.

**[Irina. As Issei expels the pieces, you'll need something to contain them. Do you have a box?]** Ddraig asked.

Irina paused for a moment before accessing her pocket dimensional storage seal and pulled out an ornate mahogany box.

"I got you guys," she said.

Issei nodded.

"Let's get started," Issei said as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Wait!"

Issei opened his eyes and they widened when he felt Irina's lips press up on his own. She pulled away and had a large blush on her face as she smiled shyly at him.

"For luck," she said.

Issei nodded mutely, equally as red before returning to focusing on entering his soul.

* * *

**Inside Issei's soul**

* * *

_Issei's eyes snapped open as he looked around. The ground underneath him shook as Ddraig landed next to him. The dragon looked down at Issei with its green eyes._

"_So, where are they?" Issei asked._

_**[There not here. We'll have to make our way deeper into your soul.]**__ Ddraig said as he looked around._

"_Hmm, at least we know they're here," Issei said, pointing at the massive dark tendrils the dotted the skies of Issei's soul landscape._

_**[That looks… imposing]**__ Ddraig said as he sensed out the tendrils. His eyes widened when he felt Trihexa's maddening aura inside of them, gaining ground. Issei looked around as he saw a portion of his soul crumble._

"_We need to move fast," Issei said as he spread his wings. Ddraig nodded and followed after him. Issei marveled at how much his soulscape resembled Kuoh. Everything was in the right place from Kuoh Academy to even his house. The only difference between his soul house and his real house was that this house was the house he had before its renovation into a massive mansion-like complex._

_**[Partner]**_

_Issei stopped when he heard Ddraig's voice. The dragon was a little ways behind him and just hovered in mid-air._

"_Ddraig?" Issei asked._

_**[This is as far as I can go in terms of following you. Only you can enter this portion of your soul.] **__ Ddraig said._

"_What will you be doing?" Issei asked. Ddraig nodded his head towards a massive lake the stretched on for miles. The lake was unnatural for it wasn't filled with water. It was filled with wispy mist-like energy that was black and red with hints of green shimmering within it._

_**[I'll be providing you with power to achieve your task]**__ Ddraig said._

"_See you on the other side," Issei said, floating back over to him and holding his fist out._

_Ddraig smirked and bumped his fist on Issei's._

_**[See you on the other side, Partner]**__ Ddraig said. Issei flapped his wings and took off in a burst of speed farther into Kuoh._

_The surroundings blurred around Issei as he stretched his senses to look for the pieces. The area shook as Issei felt his soul get weaker. He gritted his teeth. How was he supposed to find them in an area as large as this? They could be anywhere._

_As Issei paused to get a bearing on his surroundings, a blur slammed into him, sending him crashing into the pavement below. Issei groaned as he looked up at the sky. His eyes widened when he saw who attacked him._

"_You," Issei growled as he stood._

_A woman with dark brown hair and violet eyes hovered above him. She wore two leather straps to cover her large breasts while __a thong-like piece held around her hips by three thin straps covered her crotch. Black gloves ran right up her arms with small lengths of chains hanging from them and shoulder guard-like objects rested on her shoulders with three large spikes sprouting from her right shoulder. She also black thigh-high heel boots. But her most prominent features were the pair of black feathery wings that sprouted from her back and the black veins that decorated her skin. The woman held a sadistic grin on her face._

"_Hello, Issei. Come for another date with little old me?" she asked._

"_Raynare," Issei said, his anger growing by the second._

_Raynare grinned as she formed a massive black light spear and threw it at Issei. Issei scoffed as he easily dodged the spear. He summoned the __**[Boosted Gear]**__ and appeared in front of Raynare, planting his fist in her face._

_Raynare crashed into one of the houses below and groaned in pain. Issei slammed his foot into her liver, causing her to cough out blood. He removed his foot and Raynare curled into a ball at his feet._

"_You're not even worth Boosting," Issei said darkly as his eyes flickered between black and white. He summoned Ascalon and bisected her, sending blood spraying everywhere._

_Raynare's face was frozen in pain and horror as her two halves began to flicker and transformed into a pawn piece. Issei grabbed the piece and tried to call upon the power Ddraig mentioned. He felt it. Issei put all of his efforts into pulling on it and after several minutes of effort, managed to draw upon a substantial amount and forced it into his pawn piece. The piece in his hand glowed brightly before crumbling into dust._

"_One down. Seven to go," Issei said as he picked up Ascalon._

* * *

**Appalachian Mountains, Monongahela National Forest, Virginia, US, 2:25 AM**

* * *

Asia and Irina watched as Issei arched his back and let out a soundless scream. His eyes snapped open revealing black sclera and green glowing irises. A red glow emanated from his chest as a pawn piece flew out and landed on the floor a few feet away from them.

Asia looked back at Issei and sighed in relief. So far, she only had to heal a minor bruise on his side.

Irina stood and walked over to the piece and as she grabbed it, her hand dropped it as she pulled back. Her eyes widened in surprise and shock.

"What's wrong?" Asia asked as she took her eyes off her brother for a few seconds.

"The Piece. It just tried to sap my life force," Irina said. "I could feel it try to drain me."

"How are we going to get it in the box?" Asia asked.

"I learned a few tricks whenever I went to train in Heaven," Irina said. She waved her hand and the piece levitated. She picked up the box, opened it, and willed the pawn piece to go inside.

"That's a neat trick," Asia said as she saw a red stain form on Issei's leg. She moved to heal it as Irina sat down.

"Seven more right?" Irina asked as she watched another red light emanate from Issei's chest.

"Nevermind."

The pawn piece flew out of Issei and this time, Irina held out her hand and caught it telekinetically. She flicked her wrist and the piece flew into the box.

"Six."

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, Same Time**

* * *

Mitsuki walked down the stairs and to the broom closet. She sighed. Why did they not get a maid to help them clean the house? Mitsuki grabbed the broom and dustpan and made her way to the stairs when she felt someone's presence behind her. Her eyes widened as her aura flared. She thrust the broom and leveled it at a petrified Ravel and Hiruko.

Mitsuki sighed and calmed down.

"Jeez! At least say something," the female Hyoudou twin said.

"S- Sorry. We thought you were with Seekvaira-san," Ravel said.

"No, no. I'm just a bit on edge the training is all," Mitsuki said, waving off her concern.

Ravel noticed the broom and dustpan in her hands for the first time.

"What's going on? Did something fall?" she asked.

"Yeah, Asia dropped the plate of food," Mitsuki answered.

"Where did Asia go anyway?" Hiruko asked.

"She went with Irina and Issei to go get something from the Maou. They'll be back in a couple of hours. What about you two?" Mitsuki asked.

"Oh. I'm going home. My parents called and they're worried," Hiruko said.

"Oh, well stay safe you two," Mitsuki said as she walked up the stairs.

"So that was…?" Hiruko asked as he watched Mitsuki disappear up the stairs.

"Yes, that was her."

The two turned to see Akeno grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

"That was the **[Unholy Empress of Destiny]** Mitsuki Hyoudou. She's the wielder of the Longinus Sacred Gear, **{Telos Karma}**," Akeno said.

"Just how strong is she?" Hiruko asked, remembering the pressure that slammed into him and Ravel.

"Strong enough to beat most of us without even using her full power. She rivals The Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor in full strength. As to who they are, I'll explain that later. Right now, you need to get some rest," Akeno said.

She grabbed a few more bottles before heading back down the stairs.

Upstairs on the second floor, Mitsuki grumbled as she swept up the mess. Kiba vacuumed all of the food off the floor.

"Why didn't we get a maid?" Kiba asked.

"If there's one thing my brother and parents have in common, it's their disgust of having someone do everything for them," Mitsuki said as she placed the pieces inside of the dustpan.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask since Issei is so tight-lipped about this but… what happened between Issei and your parents?" Kiba asked.

"When we were younger, I'm sure that Aniki told you that I was a prodigy. I excelled in school and sports, learned to play the piano when I was 5 and won my first piano competition when I was seven. I was the star child of the family," Mitsuki said, pausing. "It was only natural from our eyes that our parents favored me more."

"Sounds like a case of Sirzechs and Rias," Kiba said.

"Only, Rias got noticed by her parents because of her blooming skill in magic. My parents barely acknowledged anything Aniki did. Sure, they knew he was there and tried to love him as much as they did me but… to them, he was too painfully average," Mitsuki added.

Kiba remained silent the entire time she spoke.

"Was there anyone who looked out for Issei besides you and Irina?" Kiba asked.

"Me? No. Back then, I was… a bitch for a lack of better terms," Mitsuki confessed. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"But he did have someone other than Irina," she said. "My parents hired a babysitter for Issei. I don't know what happened to her but Issei adored her. Her name was Lily if I remember correctly. I think Kaa-san fired her because Issei was starting to get too attached to her or something. All I know is she just up and left one day. Then, Kaa-san hired Az-nee and the rest was history."

"Huh," Kiba said as he turned on the vacuum again.

"Yeah," Mitsuki said. Her eyes trailed over to a picture on the wall of her and Issei as they graduated from middle school. She could be seen, her brown hair blowing in the wind as a bright smile adorned her face. Her arm was wrapped around Issei's and made a peace sign while Issei smiled back at the camera.

She smiled a little before returning to her task with one thought pervading her mind.

_Please be okay, Aniki_.

* * *

**Inside Issei's Soul**

* * *

_Issei twisted out of the way of Akeno's lightning blast. The blast destroyed the houses behind him as he stared up at the demonized version of Akeno._

"_Tch!" Issei flipped as Akeno threw another blast of lightning. Issei summoned the __**[Boosted Gear]**__ and punched a lightning blast headed his way. Issei looked up at her._

"_Ara, ara Issei-kun. Are you tired already?" "Akeno" asked in a demonic voice. Her grin was twisted as she stared at Issei with so much hatred that he wanted to puke._

"_Not even. Besides, Koneko was more of a challenge than you and she only has Rook Strength. You have Rook Strength, Bishop Magic, and Knight Speed and you still haven't made me break a sweat," Issei taunted as he placed his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner._

"_Akeno" growled as her eye twitched._

"_You are nothing. Your parents don't even love you! Your sister only pretends to love you! Y-!" "Akeno" was silenced as Issei planted his foot in her solar plexus. "Akeno" let out a silent gasp as she was sent flying through the air. _

_Issei appeared above her and drove his elbow into her back, breaking her spine._

"_Akeno" laid there in the pavement, in a crater created by her crash. She was unmoving and her face contorted in pain as she felt nothing in the lower half of her body._

_Issei landed in front of her and began walking slowly._

"_Issei, please… don't. I'm sorry," "Akeno" said as she reached out to him with her hand._

_Issei sighed._

"_Can't you pieces say anything original?" Issei asked as he began to Boost._

_**[Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] **_

_Issei held his hand out and a small red sphere formed in front of him. The Demon Akeno's eyes widened as she let out a scream of agony when the red orb completely enveloped her, destroying her entire being. _

_A massive explosion shook the entire area, sending dust and debris everywhere. As the dust cleared, the piece lay at the beginning of a massive scorched trench that stretched on into the distance. Issei sighed as he grabbed the piece. This was piece number 6. He picked it up and performed the same thing he had done five times already._

_Issei sat down to take a short break as he watched the piece dissolved into red lights._

"_Just two more pieces. Woo! These pieces know where to hit," he laughed as he remembered when one of the pieces morphed into his parents._

"_We never loved you! You could never compare to Asia or Mitsuki!" a twisted mockery of his mother's voice echoed through his head as Issei recounted the battle. In the end, Issei just ignored them and finished his parents off with Ascalon._

"_Hey Ddraig. You there?" Issei asked._

_**[Still here. The connection out here is great.]**__ Ddraig said, laughing through their mental link._

"_You mind checking up on my status?" Issei asked._

_**[Give me a second.]**__ Ddraig said._

_Issei waited, looking up the hazy sky of his soulscape, wondering who the next person he would fight would be. Would it be Asia? One of the boys? Vali? Rizevim even? As he thought about who his next foe would be, he noticed a pattern between the pieces._

"_The first piece was Raynare. The second was Ravel. Then Koneko. Then my parents. Then Ddraig. Then Akeno. The pieces seem to be mimicking people who are close to me," Issei said. "Talk about kicking someone in the emotional genitals."_

_Issei looked around at the houses around him._

"_Damn. Didn't think a single dragon shot could do this much damage?" as he observed the trench next to him. _

_**[Issei. You there?]**_

"_Yeah, I'm here. What's our status?" Issei asked._

_**[It seems that what we're doing is working. Your body is already beginning to kickstart a mass purge of the corrupted energy from your system. And your Miasma seems to be naturally repairing any holes left in your soul by the absence of your pieces.]**__ Ddraig said._

"_That's good. I have two more pieces left before I finish," Issei said._

_**[Be careful. You don't know how the pieces will react now that there's only two]**__ Issei said._

"_You know one of the pieces mimicked you?" Issei said._

_**[No. I didn't.]**__ Ddraig replied._

"_I had to go into Balance Breaker for that one. The copy was weak though. Only had your basic boost," Issei commented as he spread his wings and took off._

_**[Of course. No mere copy is going to be stronger than the actual thing.]**__ Ddraig said, pride evident in his voice._

"_Okay, calm down before your ego becomes bigger than your nonexistent di-!" Issei widened his eyes as he blocked the kick of a shadowy figure that appeared in front of him._

_Issei dodged as the figure threw a right hook at his face and sent one of his own to its side. The figure stumbled back, allowing Issei enough time to land a roundhouse kick into the figure's neck, sending it crashing into one of the houses below._

_Issei hovered above the ruined building as the figure walked out._

"_Oh, my dear Issei. How can you hit me like that?" the figure said as it walked out. _

_Issei's eyes widened as he looked down at it. That familiar red hair. Those blue eyes. Even the sweep, supple curves that Issei had fallen in love with long ago. The figure smiled as it brushed some dust off before flipping its hair out of the way._

"_Rias?" Issei asked._

"_Hello, my __**dear**__ Issei," "Rias" said, twisting the dear into a twisted hateful mockery of how the real Rias usually said it. _

"_Goddamnit," Issei said, ignoring the headache that just assaulted his brain._

"_God's not here, Issei. He's dead. Remember?" Rias said as she appeared in front of him._

_She's fast, Issei thought as he barely blocked a high jump kick from "Rias"._

"_Rias" smirked before coating her leg in the familiar black and red energy of the Power of Destruction. Issei screamed as he felt his skin being disintegrated. He gritted his teeth before glaring at Rias._

_**[Cardinal Crimson Full Drive!]**_

_Issei was covered in a sleek, bulky scarlet armor. Two bony protrusions extended from the back of Issei's armor and energy like wings became projected from them. _

"_GO TO HELL!" Issei said, grabbing "Rias's" leg and spun around before throwing her. "Rias" crashed through several buildings._

"_Rias" groaned as she shakily got to her feet and glared at Issei. Issei sped towards her with his fist cocked back. Rias let out an unholy scream before digging her feet into the ground and taking off towards Issei. She cocked her fist back and coated it in the Power of Destruction._

_They met in the middle and the entire area was bathed in red light. A massive explosion destroyed every structure in the area. A massive mushroom cloud towered over Kuoh as a shockwave that emanated and shattered the glass of every window within the town._

_Ddraig looked up as he felt a powerful wind wash over him. In the distance, he saw a large smoke cloud rising from the town._

_**[Be careful, Partner]**__ Ddraig said._

_Issei blocked another kick from Rias and countered with a punch to her stomach. Rias stumbled back before forming a swirling sphere of Power of Destruction in her left hand and slamming it into Issei's chest, grinding into the armor._

_Shit! She's drilling away at my armor. Damnit! Issei threw a punch at Rias's shoulder, forcing her to take a step back._

_**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] **_

_**[Crimson Blaster!]**_

"_Rias's" eyes widened as the red beam enveloped her. The beam traveled across his soul's version of Kuoh, crashing into Kuoh Academy and then into the Old School Building._

_Issei sped towards Rias before she could recover. He froze when Rias smirked. She pointed up, causing Issei to look at the sky. A massive red sphere was currently rocketing towards Issei._

"_Shit…"_

_The sphere impacted the ground, destroying the entire Old School Building and vaporizing a large portion of the High School Area of Kuoh._

"_Rias" hovered above the smoke, looking around for any signs of Issei._

_After sensing nothing, "Rias" smirked and began to fly away._

_When she turned, she was met with the gauntlet covered fist of Issei, sending her crashing into the ground. As she struggled to stand up, Issei slammed his foot from 50 feet in the air onto her torso, causing her to cough up a dark tar-like substance that Issei could only guess was her blood._

"_Okay bitch. I know you're not Rias so you can cut the act and get the hell out of my body!" Issei roared as he drove the blade into her skull._

_Her body spasmed and Issei brought the armored fist down on the pommel of Ascalon driving it deeper into the ground. Her body went limp and flickered a few times before disappearing. Ascalon was driven right through the pawn piece. _

_Issei removed Ascalon and picked up the piece, channeling his Miasma into it. The piece glowed brightly before disappearing in a stream of red particles like the others._

"_One more left," Issei said. He looked up and saw the dark mist swirling together as red lightning arced across the sky. The clouds funneled together at the top of Kuoh Academy._

"_I guess I don't have to look," Issei said._

_The clouds formed a mouth and roared at Issei as thunder clapped across the sky._

"_Come and get it you son of a bitch!" Issei yelled as he spread his wings and shot off towards the clouds. The clouds merged, forming an all too familiar foe. The beast had four stout arms and two legs, a large furry and scaly body that towered over the town itself, its seven tails, which differed in their shapes, extended well over a few hundred meters. The beast had seven heads each belonging to a different animal._

"_Trihexa," Issei growled._

_The beast roared, shaking Issei's entire soulscape and sending him flying back a little. He narrowed his eyes at the beast._

"_You're not supposed to be here," Issei said._

_The beast responded with words for the first time since Issei met Trihexa. _

"_So are you," the beast said._

"_So you can talk," Issei said, summoning Ascalon._

_The beast merely growled and grunted as its heads all looked down at Issei. The beast's form flickered before being engulfed in black and white energy swirling into a compressed white sphere. The sphere shone for a second before shattering. A man with white hair and two different colored eyes. His left eye was red with black sclera while his right eye was blue. The man wore a pure white robe with six pairs of wings extending from his back, belonging to an eagle's, a dragon's, a bat, a locust's, a wasp's, and a raven's._

_Trihexa appeared in front of Issei, causing him to barely block its attacks. Issei's eyes narrowed when he felt something was off._

"_You're not as strong as your original self. Even one of your cores required someone on Indra-sama's level to defeat," Issei said. He forced Trihexa back and delivered a devastating kick to his stomach._

_Trihexa rocketed back and landed on the roof of a house. He looked up and his eyes glowed. Several blue spears of light manifested in the air and fired in rapid succession at Issei._

_Issei shot towards Trihexa, swinging Ascalon at the incoming spears. He disappeared in a burst of speed and appeared behind the Beast._

_Trihexa's eyes widened as a large wound appeared on his chest and left shoulder, spraying blood everywhere._

_The Beast roared, falling to one knee. It furiously turned and stretched its palm, firing a massive blast of fire at Issei._

_**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**_

_**[Crimson Blaster!]**_

_A scarlet beam of energy was fired from Issei's wings punching straight through the fireball._

_Issei quickly turned when Trihexa appeared behind him with two spears made of blue light in his hands. He used his sword to deflect the spears and severed Trihexa's left arm. _

_Trihexa roared and released a powerful telekinetic blast that leveled the building they were on and sent Issei flying and crashing into Kuoh Academy University. A black and white mist poured from the stump that was Trihexa's arm, solidifying and forming another arm._

_Issei shakily got to his feet and glared intensely at the Beast._

"_GET. THE. HELL. OUT. OF. MY. BODY!" Issei yelled as his sclera bled black and his pupils began to glow green. Four pairs of black wispy raven-like wings erupted and from under his __**[Cardinal Crimson Promotion]**__ wings._

_Issei thrust his hand forward for a __**[Dragon Shot]**__ but mistakenly called upon another energy. A green bolt of energy surrounded by a black aura appeared in front of Issei and fired at Trihexa._

_Trihexa merely roared in response and fired a black and white beam of energy that collided with Issei's beam._

_The beams clashed for dominance, darkening the sky in their brilliant display of light. The ground shook as a massive crater began to form on the Academy grounds._

"_GRAOOOOO!" Trihexa roared, baring his fangs and his eyes glowing with power._

"_GO TO HELLL!" Issei shouted as he began __**[Boosting]**__._

_Trihexa's eyes widened when he felt himself being pushed back. Issei's energy beam punched through Trihexa's beam. The beam pierced through the Beast, leaving a gaping hole in his torso._

_Trihexa fell to the ground and Issei appeared above him and drove Ascalon through his chest._

_Trihexa gasped for air as blood flowed from his mouth. He looked at Issei, who was now pulling Ascalon from the Beast's chest. He sat up surprising Issei and grasped his forearm._

"_Thank you… and tell my children, I'm sorry. You remind me of her," Trihexa said as the red faded from his eye. His body began to glow and faded into red particles of light, leaving behind the final pawn piece._

_Issei looked at the piece in confusion as Trihexa's words replayed over and over in his mind._

"_Children? That thing had children? Sucks to be them," Issei said as he poured his Miasma into the pawn piece. A burst of power exuded from the pawn piece as it faded into red particles of light. The dark clouds above faded as light slowly began to creep into Issei's soul._

"_Ddraig?" Issei asked._

_**[I'm here.] **__Ddraig responded._

"_Hehehe… HAHAHA! I'M FREE! I'M FUCKING FREE!" Issei shouted, cheering._

_Ddraig laughed over their connection as Issei fell flat on his back and smiled at the bright sky of his soul._

"_Where have you been all my life Mr. Sun?" Issei asked as his vision swam and faded into black._

* * *

Issei's eyes slowly fluttered open as he saw Irina's beautiful worried face above his own. His face slowly turned red at the distance between them.

"Um, hey?" Issei said quietly.

Irina finally noticed how close she was to Issei and move back, her face resembling a tomato. Issei sat up, equally red-faced.

"Nii-san!" Asia glomped Issei, causing him to fall back down.

"Asia," Issei said, softly petting her hair.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Asia said happily, crying into his shoulder.

"What will you do now? Now that you're no longer a devil. In fact, what are you?" Irina asked.

"I honestly don't know anymore. Ddraig said that the energy running through my body changed my composition to something similar to a Fallen Angel yet also similar to a Devil," Issei said.

"So what now?" Irina asked.

"I was thinking of going back and finishing high school and then maybe travel around for a bit. Maybe go to school abroad and distance myself from all… this," Issei said. "The Supernatural is what got me into this mess. I might as well take a short break from it. Don't get me wrong. I'll still train and participate in the tournament but as far as devils go or any involvement with the factions, I'll avoid them for now," Issei said.

**[You can't keep away forever. Sooner or later, people will notice that you're missing]** Ddraig said as an emerald light pulsated from Issei's left hand.

"But I can try to right? Maybe we can even solve some problems of our own. Like a certain blue dragon that might come to kill me sooner or later?" Issei said.

**[Don't tempt Fate, Issei]** Ddraig said.

"Let's go home guys," Issei said. Irina and Asia nodded as Asia formed a red magic circle with the crest of the Gremory Family on it and disappeared in a flash of red light.

* * *

**Underworld**

* * *

Hades scoffed as he dodged another red and black sphere. The sphere engulfed his throne and erased it.

_Power of Destruction. So this is a Bael? And not who I thought it was,_ Hades thought as he blocked his attacker's strikes.

The hooded figure growled as Hades easily deflected their attacks.

"Enough of this," the death god said as he blurred out of existence.

The figure looked around for the God only to look down and see the bident sticking out of their chest.

"To think that the Old Satan Faction might still be afoot. Either that or Lord Bael has gone insane to attack a God from another pantheon," Hades said.

"...," the figure remained silent.

Hades scoffed as he removed the bident and the figure fell to the floor unceremoniously.

"Now let's who you are," Hades said as he reached for the hood. Just as he was about to pull it off, the figure's hand grabbed Hades' wrist. The hooded cloak was engulfed in flames.

"What the-!?" Hades' eyes widened as red flames shot from the hood and entered Hades' mouth.

The God of Death fell to the floor, writhing and spasming before going still. His eyes opened but they were no longer pitch black. His eyes were now blood red as magma like veins spread all over his body. His eyes flickered back to black and the magma faded from his veins.

Hades turned around and began to walk to where his throne stood. He lifted his hand and a violet seal that had the Tongue of the Old Times Runes from the rule of the Titans and the Protogenoi appeared on the floor. A set of stairs descended deep into the ground.

After a few minutes of walking, Hades was greeted by two Sparti. The skeletal warriors saluted him to which he nodded back. Hades carved in several runes in the Ancient Greek and the door opened.

In the room was a woman with white hair attached to a massive bulbous mass of flesh. Her pale skin was marred with blood while her golden eyes looked on lifelessly. Hades watched as a fully grown devil was formed from the biomass. In the room were also two devils. A man in his early twenties walked forward. He had slightly tanned skin, bronze hair, blue eyes, and wore a black bodysuit.

"Balberith," Hades addressed.

Balberith's head tilted slightly as another devil walked forward. This one was inhumanly beautiful and had long green hair. She had hazel eyes and smiled.

"Verrine," Hades greeted.

Suddenly, Balberith attacked him, forcing Hades to barely dodge.

"What are you doing?" Hades asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Hades said that we had to protect mother Lilith from all threats," Verrine said as a violet aura surrounded her.

"I am Hades," Hades yelled.

"You're not Hades. Hades doesn't feel like you," Balberith said.

Hades took a step back as a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He suddenly smiled and adopted a calm posture.

Verrine and Balberith both shot off with the intent of eradicating the God of the Greek Underworld when Hades' eyes flashed crimson.

The two devils fell to the floor, gasping for air as they felt their very essence being twisted and attacked. The pain they felt was unreal as the sensation of a thousand daggers that had been heated to the point where the blade was glowing and being stabbed into them spread across their body.

Hades walked up to Lilith and placed a hand on her cheek. She seemed to respond and nuzzled her cheek against his hand.

"What have they done to you?" Hades whispered.

A black and red sphere of energy formed in Hades' palm as he swiped it at the mass of flesh holding Lilith. She was cut free and fell to the floor. Hades snapped his fingers and a blanket materialized and covered her naked form.

"Be free," Hades said. "I'll see you soon."

His eyes glowed red as Lilith disappeared in a flash of black light. He sighed and turned around to the two struggling devils on the floor.

"You two won't remember what happened and neither will he. He won't even know what this room was used for. I'll leave you two behind and fabricate false memories that he had found you and taken you in but the rest of them I'll take," "Hades" said as he snapped his fingers. Every sleeping devil that was in the room disappeared, leaving just the three of them.

Hades placed a finger on their foreheads and the two devils fell asleep. He smirked before his head was thrown back and his mouth opened. A red and black mist poured out of Hades' mouth and dispersed into the air, leaving two unconscious devils and an unconscious God of the Dead.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor**

* * *

Issei, Irina, and Asia reappeared in Issei's room. Issei collapsed on his bed as he heard two sets of footsteps running towards his room. Kiba and Mitsuki burst in to see Irina, Asia, and Issei. Their gaze locked onto a box Irina was holding.

"Is that…?" Kiba asked.

Irina nodded and opened it. Kiba walked over to take a look and felt their pull. Curious, he reached his hand inside the box to pick up one of the pieces when he pulled his hand back suddenly.

"Wh- What? Is that what was inside of you?" Kiba asked, horrified at what just happened.

"What happened?" Mitsuki asked.

"The piece just tried to drain my life force. I could feel it when I tried to touch it," he said.

"At least it's gone," Mitsuki said, taking the box from Irina and closing it. She placed it on Issei's dresser next to the recorder.

"So what now?" Kiba asked.

"Well, I was thinking of finishing up the semester then going on a little trip. You know a break from all this… and to get away from them," Issei said.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded.

"Where are you thinking of going?" Mitsuki asked.

"Well, I might go seek out Vali and his Team or maybe go to America. I've always wanted to go there," Issei said. "Become a member of the Ghost Adventures Team or something."

"That's it?"

"Yeah," Issei said.

"What about the tournament?" Mitsuki asked.

Issei went silent.

"People will be expecting you to join as a member of Team Gremory," his twin reminded.

"I'm not going to," Issei said.

Everyone remained silent.

"But people will still expect you to be a part of it. You just disappearing out of nowhere will send the factions into a panic," Irina said.

"Then I'll leave a note because honestly, I deserve a break. We all do," Issei said.

"Okay," Irina said. Everyone looked at her.

"Really? You'll let me take off by myself just like that?" Issei asked. Asia, Mitsuki, and Kiba nodded alongside his words. That was not a very Irina-like thing to do.

"Not by yourself of course. Together. Like we always do," she said.

"But what about?"

"End of the semester. You said that you'll finish the semester," Irina said.

"Well, if Aniki is going on vacation then I'll go as well," Mitsuki said.

"Count me in. Canada and Alaska are nice this time of year," Kiba said.

"What about you Asia?" Issei asked.

"I think I'll stay here. Keep an eye on them. Something about what they did isn't sitting right with me," she said.

Issei looked at her for a few seconds before smiling mischievously.

"You want to stay with Eren huh? Gonna make me and Mitsuki a niece or nephew to spoil? Eh? Ehhh- OW!" Issei rubbed the back of his head as Mitsuki stood next to him with her fist shaking.

"You have fun Asia," Mitsuki said. Asia merely smiled while trying to hold in her laughter.

"Hey, I was thinking. Why don't we participate as a team? When are sign-ups, Mitsuki?" Irina asked.

"Lucifaad. In three weeks," Kiba said.

Issei looked at Irina, who gave him a small smile.

"I know that we can't pull you guys out of your teams so Issei and I wi-" Irina was interrupted by Mitsuki.

"I can ask Seekvaira-sama if I can be on a team with Issei. Have an excuse like we want to be a twin tag team," Mitsuki said.

"Are you sure about this Irina?" Issei asked.

"Of course! I'm not bound to a peerage and I'm sure Michael-sama won't participate… unless you don't want to form a team with me," Irina asked, her hair shadowing her face as her eyes glowed an eerie shade of violet. A sickly sweet smile adorned her face as an aura of killing intent surrounded her.

"Of course I want you on my team," Issei squeaked out.

"Good!" Irina said, her smile becoming calming and serene once more. Irina looked and saw Mitsuki, Kiba, and Asia huddled together a few feet away from her.

"Then it's settled. In three weeks, we head to the Devil Capital and sign up," Issei said.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Okay, okay. I'll be answering some comments from the first chapter all the way to the third. You all know how this works.**

**TatsuyaShiva24: Yeahhhh, Issei in this one was never rebirthed. He's Half-Human, Half-Something now. I'll explain more on why Issei was never rebirthed later.**

**Rhongonyniad: Hmm, that's actually a good idea since I plan to have Issei and co. go on vacation to America. Maybe an accidental run-in with Eric rather than the "I was looking for you" kind of deal in the original. Hah, Lucifer has the oldest case of daddy issues. I like that. The Leviathan Race still exists. They'll be mentioned on and off by Ophis or Great Red as the Cosmic Horrors or something that the Cosmic Beings fought a long time ago and they were forced to intervene. As for God and Tathamet, I changed that. Anu and Tathamet (Diablo anyone?) are there but I'm fleshing out some concepts that I won't reveal til like maybe the fourth arc. To answer your other question, the origins of the Pagan Deities will be answered. I've also retconned the Archangels since people didn't seem to like a Lucifer Morningstar and Michael Demiurgos Level Lucifer and Michael. I guess no one likes DC. I will still use PJO and Kane Chronicles for the Greco-Roman Pantheon and the Egyptian Pantheon as you saw with the Old Times Tongue reference and Nico Di Angelo cameo. The Norse Pantheon is a mix of Fate, DxD, Marvel, and Magnus Chase. This one is a hodgepodge of a pantheon. Another thing that won't exist are the Seven Princes of Hell so... sorry Bael is no longer a thing since Zekram Bael was the original Bael. Metatron will fall in love with someone else since... spoilers but not all the Maou died in the Great War in this one. They just faked their deaths and went into hiding. The Archangels will still be the guardians of Creation since... the other Primordial Entities could give less fucks. God will be... you will be surprised at what I have planned for him or should I say her? No, I'm kidding it's a he. As for their level of power... I'll still make it so that they're powerful but as to how... well Lucifer is extremely weakened from creating all of Devilkind and that is the reason why Sirzechs in his True Form is ten times stronger than her. Because what she was at her prime was completely different. You'll see.**

**The Soldier of No Sorrow: Will I still sneak in Toho Kaiju cameos? Yes. I will. I will keep Ghidorah as one of Luci's forms. Maybe make give her the same powers as our favorite five-dimensional golden noodle of nothingness. The Behemoth from KoTM is Serafall's peerage member and familiar if you're curious. Well no, the thing is called a Behemoth but it's actually Methuselah from KoTM not the mammoth thing called Behemoth.**

**I would like to answer a question and take back what I said about Lilith and Lucifer.**

**She is still a thing. Lilith being his baby sitter I mean. Since Ishibumi in his wisdom never gives time frames as to when things happen, I will be deciding when things happen. Now you know why Lilith is no longer Issei's babysitter.**

**To all of you with your theories as to what is happening to the girls, please if you figure it out. Tell me. Don't write it in the reviews. Trust me. It's sort of obvious what's going on.**

**Well, I hope you liked this. Same old routine. Review. Favorite. Follow. And remember to have a great day/night, the choice is yours! Remember to hope that WWIII doesn't happen because of the idiotic fruit we call the US President!**


	5. Unification of the Gods

**Welp, another chapter. And on a Thursday too. Hey, everyone and welcome back to Crimson's crappy storytime! Today, we'll be seeing what the hell Azazel and the others have been up to while our favorite (might not be) boy was suffering! So here we go!**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

_After the war with Rizevim and Qlippoth, the situation the Moonlit World found themselves in became tense, to say the least. Aside from preventing the Sunlit World from finding out about their existence, the leaders of the various factions scrambled to repair their respective pantheons. In the North, the Norse and the other European Pantheons began to rebuild and repair their homes while in the Americas, the Greeks dealt with the upsurge of monsters escaping from Tartarus. The Dragon Goddess Ophis returned to her home of the Dimensional Gap._

_There were still members of the Qliphoth afoot, wreaking havoc across the known Supernatural World. _

_Things went well for the Biblical Faction. If you would call a two out of three a passing score when it came to the home field situation. The Devils had to deal with a massive fallout. The Four Maou were constantly swamped with paperwork and press conferences with the general populace. Most of the questions they had, the Maou were able to answer but the others… Well, they hit close to home for them. Most of the personal questions went like "Why didn't you alert the Underworld?", or "Why did you let a bunch of kids take care of it?", or the best one, "Do you not trust your own people to help handle the situation?". A government in which your own people don't trust you is a recipe for disaster and the Underworld teetered on the edge of another Civil War due to the perceived distrust that the leaders had on their own people. Yeah, Sirzechs and crew had a lot of work to do to repair their little slice of the Creation._

_As a result of the secrecy, rebellions happened throughout the Underworld, instigated by devils who believed in the ideologies put forth by the Old Maou Faction or those that did not trust the Maou after they kept such a secret from them. In response to this rising threat, the Four Maou implemented a strike force to squash these rebellions before they got out of hand. That strike team came in the form of Vali Team. The Underworld's equivalent of the various strike forces used by the humans of the Sunlit World._

_Why not the Boy you ask? Well, the leaders thought it would be better if the young hero got some rest. Spend some time with his future wife… s. Get ready for the married life. After all, several of them can attest that your wife is always right. Or in the boy's case, wives. So they asked his rival instead._

_Thanks to the team's efforts in helping end the war and their efforts in helping to relieve the post-war situation, Vali and his team became celebrities across the Moonlit World. Their crimes had been pardoned as payment (incentive) by the Maou and over time, the masses adored them much like the humans adore their superheroes. As it currently was, they were as close as they could get to a vigilante team that went around and squashed evil. Of course, people never forgot what they did. Many questioned the Maou's choice among the Supernatural of allowing a team of criminals such leeway and mobility across the world after everything that they have done. However, Sirzechs and Vali shut it down with Vali swearing an oath that was televised across the globe. Which brings us to this situation._

* * *

**October 10, 2019, 12:30 PM, Valak Territory, Underworld**

* * *

A young man with white hair and hazel eyes sighed as he dropped a corpse onto the ground. Around him lay the dead bodies of the ones they were sent to eliminate in the old territory of the long-deceased Valak family. It still amazed him how skilled an orator his grandfather was. His words carried a message that seemed to transcend the species and cultural borders and called out to every psychopath each faction had to offer. Power might have been something his grandfather didn't have but skill at turning the masses against the ones who were supposed to protect them was something he had in spades. If such a thing qualified one for the Top 10 Strongest Existences, Rizevim would be the undisputed number one.

"Hey, Vali."

Vali turned to see a man with short brown hair and brown eyes looking at him. He wore ancient Chinese armor that belonged to the Three Kingdoms Era being ornate in its design. A slender brown tail swung lazily behind him. He leaned on a large golden staff and looked at Vali.

"What Bikou?" Vali asked as he sat down on a rock.

"Why the hell are we here again? You literally just took the first paper you saw on the L-Man's desk and dragged us out of Lilith," Bikou said.

Vali sighed once again. He had a feeling that he would be doing that a lot today.

"Because we have nothing else better to do so why not do this?" Vali said.

"You had nothing else better to do. I had something to do," Bikou said, giggling pervertedly.

"If ogling females at the capital of the Underworld counts as doing something, then yes, you were doing something," a man with blonde hair and spectacles piped up. He wore a long blue trench coat and black pants with a silver sweater. He sat on the floor, wiping the blood off his blade. His blue-green eyes looked at Bikou blankly.

"I'm the only one here who doesn't have someone going for them! You have Elaine back at House Pendragon waiting for your ass to sweep her off her feet and Vali, you have Issei's fucking bombshell of a twin sister gunning for you!" Bikou said, pointing at the two of them.

"How is the fact that you can't get a girlfriend our fault?" Vali asked.

"You should be helping me get one!" Bikou said.

"I don't think you'll be scoring any girls in Kuoh after what happened at the movies," Vali said.

A few weeks before they were sent on a mission, Vali and his team decided to take the week off and watch the Nun. Vali had laughed the entire movie. It was nothing but cheap jump scares and twists on an actual Devil family which was ironically had the same name as the family who owned this land. Vali could still remember Kuroka's mad laughter when Bikou had pissed himself during the movie.

"Come on," Vali said, standing up. His stomach rumbled, causing the others to look at him. "I'm starving. Let's go."

The two nodded and got up.

"Where did Kuroka run off to a few days?" Bikou asked as he placed his hand behind his head.

"Kuroka said that she was being called to Kyoto by Lady Yasaka. Something about becoming the ambassador between the Devil Faction and Youkai and Shinto Faction," Arthur answered as he tried to form a magic circle. The circle fizzled out and Arthur sighed.

"Looks like the ambient energy is too much for the circles," Vali said, glancing back at the corpse of a large black dragon. "It's the only reason we were able to find these guys anyway."

"Maybe if we walk for a bit, we'll be able to teleport if we get far enough," Arthur theorized.

"Uggghh! This is your fault Vali!" Bikou complained.

"Hn," Vali said as they walked.

"Do you know why Kuroka accepted the job Vali?" Bikou asked as they walked out of the gate.

"I can only guess," Vali said. "It's probably because of Issei. Issei holds a high position in society after all. Kuroka probably wants to impress my rival and prove himself worthy to be one of his lovers."

"I mean, she doesn't have to go through all that. All Issei likes in a girl are their boobs," Bikou said. Arthur nodded sagely.

"Issei is a man of simple taste," he added.

"No, Issei just doesn't care where you come from," Vali said. "But he does look for other aspects in a girl."

"Oh? Had a heart to heart with your rival?" Bikou asked.

"Hmph. We're rivals. We need to know every-!" Vali stiffened and his eyes widened as a cold chill swept and enveloped his entire body. Every hair on his body stood on end as he stopped walking.

**{Vali. Did you feel that?}** a voice called from inside his head.

"_There's no mistaking it_," Vali said, clenching his fists.

Arthur and Bikou had noticed that Vali had stopped walking and fell behind them. The two turned and saw Vali with a dark look on his face.

"Yo, Val, what's wrong?" Bikou asked. "You look like Mitsuki just got asked out by another guy."

"Bikou," Arthur said. Bikou went silent as he felt Arthur's stare and the growing pressure of Vali's aura.

Arthur turned to Vali.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I felt something just now, for a split second," Vali said. "It felt like, and I know you'll think I'm crazy, but it felt like Hyoudou was entering the **[Juggernaut Drive]**."

Arthur and Bikou gave each other confused and surprised glances before turning back to Vali.

"Um, are you sure?" Bikou asked.

A pair of white draconic wings with blue energy-like feathers manifested on Vali's back. The feathers pulsated as Albion's voice could be heard coming from it.

**{Do not doubt my senses ape! I'd know Ddraig's energy from anywhere.}** Albion said.

"But you also felt the other thing mixed into it right?" Vali asked.

**{Yes, I did. It felt… familiar.}** Albion said.

Arthur looked at Vali for a second with a scrutinizing gaze before sighing. Pushing up his glasses, Arthur attempted to form a transportation circle only to succeed in his efforts.

"Looks like we can teleport now," Arthur said.

"You believe me right Arthur?" Vali asked as **{Divine Dividing}** retracted into Vali's back.

"Look, I don't know whether this is just your nerves, an effect of war, or if you did feel something out of place over in Kuoh. Right now, we need to hand in our report to Sirzechs. You should tell him what you felt and see if he can get someone to look into it," Arthur said.

Vali looked down for a minute, pondering his friend/teammate's advice before nodding. Stepping onto the circle with Arthur and Bikou, the three disappeared in a flash of white light.

* * *

**Dimensional Gap**

* * *

The Dimensional Gap. The space between worlds. A void that was lit with a kaleidoscopic myriad of colors. The plane was decorated with small islands and land formations that floated endlessly amidst a cornucopia of worlds that could be seen flying by.

A small girl sat in the void. She had long silky black hair that covered her pointed ears. She wore a gothic lolita dress with her frontside completely exposed with two X strips covering her chest. Her eyes opened revealing pitch black eyes with slitted pupils.

In front of her, a titanic red western dragon flew by doing flips and barrel rolls in the air, all the while cheering.

"Could you not do those annoying stunts for one second!?" the girl said, flaring her power and shaking the void.

The dragon stopped and flew over to her. Its golden eyes bore into her black ones as it huffed.

"Don't be such a stiff, Ophis," the dragon said in a male voice.

"Shut up Red," Ophis said as she floated over to his head. She sat down on his snout and looked out over the Gap.

"What was it? You just expressed more emotion in those last few seconds than you have in a few hundred years," Great Red said as he "landed" and laid down.

"Something's wrong with Ddraig's Host," Ophis said.

"The Oppai Kid right?" Great Red said.

Ophis simply nodded as she waved her hand. The image of Issei eating breakfast appeared in front of her.

"He seems fine. I don't know what you're so worried about Onee-sama," Great Red said as he got up.

Ophis remained silent as she stared at the image once more.

"I need to consult someone on this," Ophis said.

"Really? You, the Great Ouroboros Dragon, need someone's opinion?" Great Red said as he shook Ophis off his snout. "Oh dear, the Apocalypse is starting."

"I'll go talk to them," Ophis said as she began to float.

"You're going to travel all the way back to Adam Kadmon just to talk to them," Great Red said. His golden eyes looked at her with slight interest.

"Not all of us have time just to perform tricks," Ophis said. "I swear you act like a mortal."

"Hey, that hurts me… here," Great Red said, placing his paw over his chest.

Ophis rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance before her entire form rippled and disappeared in a small vortex of black energy.

* * *

**Lilith**

* * *

Vali ran through the streets of Lilith, weaving around the people walking about on the streets. He ignored the people who greeted him in favor of trying to get to his intended destination as fast as possible.

"Hey! Vali, wait!" Bikou yelled as he and Arthur struggled to catch up with the Devil Prince as he sprinted at top speed.

"Vali, the Ars Nova isn't going anywhere just calm down!" Arthur said.

Vali ignored them and turned the corner. After several minutes of running, Vali arrived at his destination. The capital building of Lilith, the Ars Nova. The Ars Nova was a large building, larger in area coverage than the Pentagon from the U.S which was the largest office building on Earth. Each corner had four cubic towers in which each of the Four Satans performed their duties. The tower Vali was heading for had arcane symbols alongside an emblem that contained a small crown that had batlike wings sprouting from the sides.

Vali rushed through the front door, practically breaking it down. The secretary yelled at him as he ran by and headed for the elevator on the right side of the hall.

"We are very sorry about him," Arthur said, stopping for a few seconds by the desk before running to catch up with Bikou and Vali. Vali stood, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the elevator to open.

The elevator dinged and the door opened as Vali rushed inside with his compatriots. Sirzechs's office was located at the top of the six-story tower.

"Geez, don't smash the six on the elevator," Bikou said.

Vali ignored him as the door closed.

"Vali, you need to stay calm," Arthur said.

"I am calm. It's just that this information we need to get to them is crucial," Vali said.

Arthur and Bikou looked at each other before nodding.

"We know but fretting over this isn't going to help anyone," Bikou said.

Vali inhaled deeply before leveling his breathing. They waited patiently as the elevator took them to the sixth floor. After a ding, the elevator door opened and Vali and the others walked out into the hallway. Sirzechs's office was located on the far end of the hall on their left side. As they arrived, Vali knocked on the door.

"Enter," a voice called from behind the door.

Vali pushed the door open and entered the room with Bikou and Arthur.

Sirzechs's office was simply designed yet elegant at the same time. Several desks with large stacks of paper could be seen as a different person, each belonging to Sirzechs's peerage, worked on the ever-growing piles. A small silver chandelier hung from the ceiling as bookshelves stood proudly, lined up against the walls.

Sirzechs sat at the very back of the room in front of a large window. Sirzechs Lucifer, the current Maou Lucifer of the Hell, was a fairly tall man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He had shoulder-length hair with bangs that framed his jaw and a single ahoge standing atop his head. His hair was the famous Gremory red and his eyes were a deep shade of blue. He wore a simple white suit with red embroidery on the sleeves.

His desk was larger and more ornately designed than the others with the designer taking into account the man's comfort preferences yet also taking in efficiency at the same time.

Beside him stood a woman, that if Vali had, to be honest, was extremely beautiful. She had long back length silver hair that was split into two long french braids. Two smaller braids adorned the sides of her face. She had silver eyes that held an aura of strictness within them but also had the look of a loving wife and mother. The oddest thing about her was that she wore a maid's uniform when it was clear that she did not have the position of one.

"Lord Lucifer," Vali said, getting the attention of the duo. They stopped what they were doing and looked up at Vali.

Sirzechs's eyes shined with relief upon seeing Vali, Arthur, and Bikou. Next to him, the woman let out a small sigh as she smiled slightly.

"How was the mission? Did you complete all your assigned objectives?" Sirzechs asked as he took his hands off his keyboard.

Vali nodded and began his report.

"As the intelligence showed, we were able to locate and destroy the cell of individuals that belonged to or were associated with Qliphoth. They consisted of a dozen devils, most of them high-class in strength while there were a few ultimate-class, a couple of fallen angels, some vampires, and stray exorcists. We managed to eliminate them and halt their project with minimal injuries to our persons," Vali reported with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Good. Was there anything else at the territory?" Sirzechs asked.

"Yes, we found attempts to clone evil dragons. They managed to succeed it seems with a few," Vali said. "However, they lacked the resources to pull off anything on the level that Qliphoth was capable of doing."

"I see," Sirzechs said. He turned to the woman. "Grayfia, please hand Vali his next mission."

"Of course, Lord Lucifer," Grayfia said as she grabbed a piece of paper from a small pile at the edge of Sirzechs's desk. She walked over and handed it to Vali, who looked at the paper with slight confusion.

"Azazel?" Vali asked, looking at the details.

"Ah yes, Azazel-dono said that he needed you for something. Just you," Sirzechs said.

"What about us?" Bikou asked.

"You are free to return for the time being until we need you for another mission," Grayfia said.

"Oh sweet," Bikou said, grinning.

**{Vali.}**

"_Right. I got to tell them what I sensed. But what are the chances they'll even believe me?"_ Vali asked.

**{Just do it. We have nothing to lose as it stands. At least we'll have peace of mind.}** Albion said. Vali nodded internally at him and spoke one more time.

"Lord Lucifer. Lady Lucifuge. There's something else I would like to report and if possible, have it looked into," Vali said.

Sirzechs and Grayfia gave each other a glance before turning back to the white-haired cambion.

"Go on," Sirzechs said.

"Following our mission, I detected an odd energy signature that I believe came from Issei Hyoudou. The nature of the signature leads me to believe that he is in some sort of danger," Vali said.

Grayfia's eyes widened while Sirzechs's face became more serious than Vali had ever seen. The Maou motioned for Vali to continue.

"Earlier today, I sensed Issei enter the **[Juggernaut Drive]**," he stated.

Sirzechs and Grayfia paused for a moment, thinking about what Vali had just stated. Finally, Grayfia spoke up.

"Are you positive that what you sensed was Issei?" Grayfia asked.

"I do not doubt it for a second," Vali said, irritation clear in his voice.

"If what you say is true, then why have I not felt anything or received any calls from my sister or the other leaders?" Sirzechs asked.

"It was very brief," Vali answered.

Sirzechs glanced at Grayfia and the two had a silent conversation with their stare alone. The interaction reminded Vali of Issei and Irina. The two knew each other as well if not better than they did the back of their hand. Despite Rias's many claims of knowing Issei the best, that position belonged solely to Irina and no one else.

"We shall look into it," Grayfia answered as she looked at Vali.

He nodded and turned around.

**{She's lying}** Albion said.

"_I know_."

**{It's no longer in our hands}** Albion said.

"_I wouldn't say that. We can always go check ourselves since the two can't take a few minutes to call or send someone to check_," Vali said as he walked out of the room with Bikou and Arthur.

After a few minutes, Sirzechs glanced outside the window and watched the three disappear within a magic circle.

"Would you like me to send someone?" Grayfia asked.

"Grayfia, tell me honestly. Do you believe what he said? About Issei?" Sirzechs asked.

"I… have my doubts but if something did happen, we would have been notified immediately by Rias and Sona, or Michael and Azazel would have called us," Grayfia said, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Still though," Sirzechs said.

"Don't worry dear. I'm sure that he's okay," Grayfia said. Sirzechs smiled. She always knew how to calm him down.

"And besides, in a few weeks, we'll be done with this and we can take a vacation to Kuoh. Enroll Millicas there for school even," Grayfia said. "And we can visit Issei and tell him about the good news."

Sirzechs smiled.

"I'm sure he'll love it," he said as he rubbed Grayfia's stomach lovingly all the while unaware of the torment a certain brown-haired boy was going through.

* * *

**Grigori Headquarters, Tzalmavet, October 11, 2019, 5:30 AM**

* * *

Vali arrived alone at the headquarters of the Grigori. The Grigori, also known as the Watchers of God, was better known as the Fallen Angel Faction. They were located in the second level of Hell known as Tzalmavet, or The Shadow of Death as opposed to Devils who lived on the first level which was known as Gehenna. This level was massive, even more so than the one before it as the realm itself contained stars and a moon.

_A moon? That wasn't there before. Looks like Sahariel finally drove the old man insane and got what she wanted_, Vali thought as he trudged up the path to the Headquarters.

The Headquarters was a large complex with several buildings. It was akin to a small city with streets, lights, and even a wall surrounding it. A large obelisk tower stood in the middle and functioned as the capital building much like the Ars Nova did back in Gehenna.

Vali entered the city and after a few minutes, reached the base of the tower. He opened the door where he was greeted by the Secretary.

"Azazel said that he wanted to see me?" Vali said.

The secretary nodded and pointed to the elevator. Vali walked over and pressed the button at the top and waited. The trip to the top floor took several minutes. When Vali arrived, he walked to a pair of massive french doors.

"_What do you think the Old Man wants?" _Vali asked.

**{I don't know but we should tell him what we told them. The Fallen sees Ddraig's host like a son. If anyone would react to your statement, it would be him.}** Albion said.

Vali nodded as he opened the door. As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by a man with black and blonde hair. He had violet eyes that held mischief inside of them. The man wore a violet trench coat with a wide-open collar and parted at the hem.

"Azazel," Vali greeted.

"Come on! Everyone is waiting for you!" Azazel said as he grabbed Vali by the arm and dragged him through a door.

"Look, whatever it is you need, can it wai-!" Vali froze when he heard a voice calling out.

"VAAAAA-KUUUUNNNN!" Vali took a step back as a blue and yellow missile crashed into him and pinned him to the floor. He felt his face being shoved in between two soft mounds of flesh as he struggled to breathe, his cries for help were muffled by the fleshy prison his face had found itself in.

Vali heard Albion laughing alongside every other occupant in the room.

"Okay, okay. As amusing as this is, I'm going to need you to get off him so he can breather Lavinia," Azazel said.

Lavinia hesitantly removed herself from Vali, allowing the poor man to breathe. Vali gasped as he took in large quantities of air, praising whatever higher power had intervened.

Lavinia Reni was a beautiful woman. She had long, flowing blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. She had a voluptuous figure with a sizable rear and large breasts. Lavinia wore white hooded mage robes.

On the sofa, still snickering at Vali, was a man with short-cropped black hair. He appeared to be in his early twenties and had flint-grey eyes. The man wore a beige trench coat over a reinforced vest that was on top of a white dress shirt. He wore black pants and military-grade combat boots, giving him the persona of a bartender who can kick ass if his bar has been disturbed. Vali knew this man. He was Tobio Ikuse, wielder of the Sacred Gear, Canis Lykaon, or as Vali liked to call it, the Great Grey Wolf Sif ripoff.

"Careful Vali. If she sees this, she might be jealous," Tobio teased.

Vali glared at him.

"Stop teasing the boy and let's get on with this meeting," a man on the right said. He had silver hair and violet eyes. The man wore a violet tunic with yellow and green embroidery alongside silver slacks and black oxfords. He was Shemhazai, the current Governor-General of the Grigori.

"I concur, Azazel," another man said. This man was extremely muscular. Unlike the others, he appeared to be the oldest in the room, looking like a middle-aged man. He had black hair and a scruffy black beard. He wore a black bodysuit. He was Baraqiel, the Vice-Governor General of the Grigori.

"Right," Azazel gestured to a woman sitting on a sofa. The woman was extremely beautiful. She had creamy skin and soft violet eyes. Her hair was dark violet and flowed down to her waist where it curled into small spirals at the end. She wore a violet formal dress that parted at her leg, revealing a black and grey skirt. She nodded and pulled something out of her breast pocket.

"Ah, here," she said as a small silver orb floated into the air.

"Thanks, Penemue," Azazel said, leaning down to plant a kiss on her cheek. She smiled and nodded.

Azazel walked up to the orb and pressed a red triangle button located on the back.

The projection of an arena appeared in the air as Azazel turned around and coughed into his mouth.

"Ahem, now you might be wondering why you were all called here from your lives to my office," Azazel said.

Mutters went around the room as a whole range of ideas could be heard from some new discovery regarding Sacred Gears to even some new position he tried with Penemue the night before.

As he heard these, Azazel's eyebrow twitched. No one ever took him seriously anymore.

Ignoring their ideas, Azazel spoke.

"Now because of recent events, every pantheon that participated in the war, as well as a few others, have gotten together and we have come up with the idea of a World-Class Rating Game as a way to symbolize our new unity. Ajuka and I have been hashing out the details but we're all meeting in a few days to discuss the rest of the details," Azazel said.

Everyone went silent as Azazel's words sunk in. Every Cadre had wide eyes as the words kept replaying inside their heads.

_A World-Class what!?_

A small chuckle erupted from Vali as he began to laugh madly. A shit-eating grin appeared on his face. Tobio and Lavinia looked at Vali with amused looks on their faces while muttering about Boob Obsessed Dragons and Half Devil Battle Maniacs.

"Don't get your hopes up yet. It still needs to get through the Senate first. We'll vote on its fate in a few days so calm your tits Vali," Azazel said.

"Hmph. You better vote in favor of it old man," Vali said.

"If all goes according to plan, the Games should be in six months, give or take a few weeks so cross your fingers," Azazel said.

Everyone nodded and waited for Azazel to say more.

"That's all," he said, walking over to his whiskey cabinet and pulling out a bottle of Jack Daniel's.

"Well, thank you for the information, Azazel-sama," Lavinia said, standing up. She curtsied before leaving in a teal magic circle.

"Azazel," Tobio said, catching his attention. "I'm going to take a break from my duties. I need to go find and get the old band back together in case this does come to fruition."

Azazel nodded and waved as Tobio summoned a massive black wolf and disappeared in a swirl of shadows.

"Father damnit Azazel! You pulled me here for this shit! I have actual work to do!" Shemhazai said. He huffed and disappeared in the sound of flapping wings.

Azazel sighed and looked towards Baraqiel.

"It seems that… a training session is needed. Azazel, I'm going to get Ambriel and Tyrael if you and Penemue don't mind," Baraqiel said.

"Sure, go for it. Ambriel is in the lab and Tyrael is over at Research and Development," Azazel said.

"Yeah, sure just tell him where our children our why don't you?" Penemue said.

"Thank you and Pen, I'll be careful with them," Baraqiel said as he disappeared in a flurry of wingbeats.

"Az, I have some work to do," Penemue said as she began walking to the door. "Gab-nee-sama told me that Az-nee-sama found something that's worth… looking into."

Azazel nodded and watched as his wife disappeared like his compatriots. Azazel poured himself another cup of whiskey. Noticing that Vali was still there, Azazel turned around and flashed him a grin.

"So, you're still here. Is there something else that you needed?" Azazel asked.

Vali blinked, seemingly pulled out of his fantasies as the entire reason he even came here in the first place was pulled to the forefront of his mind.

"Right, Albion and I sensed something today. Something familiar and alarming. I told Sirzechs and Grayfia but… anyway, I think that you'd want to hear this," Vali said.

"What is it?" Azazel asked as his face became serious.

"Issei… earlier today, I sensed him enter the **[Juggernaut Drive]**," Vali said.

Azazel's eyes widened as he performed the mother of all spit takes, spraying whiskey and saliva all over Vali's face. The cambion looked at him with a deadpan as he wiped the whiskey and the Fallen Angel Lord's spit off his face.

Azazel looked down, millions of possible scenarios running through his head as to how this could have happened. All of them were refuted with reasons as to why it could be impossible.

Vali watched as Azazel dissected his words inside his mind and waited for his response.

"Vali… are you sure it was Issei and not just some random dragon entering Outrage Mode?" Azazel asked.

Vali and Albion were floored. Azazel didn't believe them either.

"_It was worth a shot. Looks like we're going to go check on Issei after we draft our training regimen for the tournament,"_ Vali said to Albion.

**{I don't blame him. No one else other than us sensed that power spike}** Albion said.

"Well, I'm off to train then. You might be right. It was probably nothing," Vali said, walking off. As the door closed behind Vali, Azazel was left alone with his thoughts as he fought off the nagging paranoia that was brought upon by Vali's statement.

_Calm down Azazel. That's impossible. Every faction leader would have felt something like that and the girls would have reported it by now. And besides, there hasn't been any news of Kuoh being wiped off the map so we're good_, Azazel thought as he poured himself one more bottle of whiskey.

He looked at his desk, grimacing at the large piles of paper that could be seen on his desk. Azazel sat down in his chair and looked at the picture on his desk. A picture of simpler days. He smiled and got back to work.

* * *

**Ars Nova, October 13, 2019, 9:45 AM**

* * *

Sirzechs waited with his fellow Maou and Grayfia in the ballroom of the Ars Nova. Today was the day when the Gods would gather together for the first time since the Beast was released from its prison and discuss their objectives for the future, the World Class Rating Games being among them.

Sirzechs smiled. This was going to be an opportunity for peace. A peace that would last, he hoped, forever for future generations to enjoy. The battle against Trihexa seemed to be the spark they needed to become a Pantheistic world in which all myths lived together in relative harmony.

"Looks like we're the first ones here," Azazel said as he appeared inside the ballroom. Next to him, Shemhazai and Penemue bowed as they saw the Maou. The other Maou bowed in respect while Azazel and Sirzechs pulled each other in for a brotherly hug.

"Good to see you, Red," Azazel said.

"You too you old crow," Sirzechs said.

"How's the paperwork?" Shemhazai asked as they all sat down at one of the tables.

"Actually, it's been going well. Several people from the public have come forward, offering their assistance in helping us file them and get them done," Grayfia said.

Penemue lost all the emotion on her face when she heard those words come out of Grayfia's mouth.

"What…?" she asked.

Before Serafall could gloat about the effectiveness of her PR skills, the entire room shook violently. The glassware and silverware all rattled as they threatened to fall off the tables. The lights flickered as several deities entered the ballroom at once.

The first three arrived in a bolt of lightning, a sea mist, and a flash of grey light respectively.

The one who arrived in a lightning bolt took the appearance of a middle-aged man. He had a short beard and near-shoulder length hair. His eyes were electric blue and the air around him ionized as the smell of ozone could be sensed around the room. He wore a black pinstripe business suit with a lightning bolt lapel on his right breast.

The man who arrived in a sea mist was in contrast to the man in the suit. He wore a Hawaiian button-up t-shirt that was open slightly at the top. He wore open-toed brown Birkenstock sandals. He also wore light tan khaki shorts. Like the man, he had black hair and a scruffy beard with sea-green eyes.

Next to him was a woman with raven black hair. She wore a grey denim shirt underneath a grey jacket. She wore blue jeans and a pair of hiking boots. Her eyes were grey but not a dull grey that could normally be attributed to flint. Her eyes resembled storm clouds. Fierce and full of energy.

"Looks like Zeus is here. And he brought Poseidon and Athena," Shemhazai commented.

"Those two should just fuck each other already," Azazel said as Sirzechs walked over to greet them.

"Who?" everyone at the table jumped when a voice spoke. They turned to see a woman standing there with two women behind her.

The woman who surprised (scared) them was beautiful like the sunlit sky. She had sky blue hair and emerald green eyes. The woman appeared to be youthful, even more so than Sirzechs and looked to be in her late teens to her early twenties. She wore an intricate and elegant red kimono with a white haori over it. Around her torso was a green obi. She also wore a black tate-eboshi on her head that was decorated with a sun crest that seemed to currently be in mid-morning phase, suggesting that the crest changed with the position of the sun in the sky.

"Jesus Amaterasu! Don't scare us like that!" Ajuka said as he clutched his chest. He could still feel his heart pounding.

"I'm sorry," Amaterasu said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Amaterasu-sama. I told you it was a bad idea," a woman with blonde hair said. She had a pair of fluffy fox ears on top of her head. Behind her were nine golden tails that swished slightly from left to right. The woman wore a golden kimono with a yellow obi at the waist. Her kimono parted at the top, revealing her shoulders and gave the males an ample view of her cleavage.

"I blame Kuroka!" Amaterasu said, pointing at a surprised young woman with black hair. Her hazel eyes lit up in surprise as her two cat tails stiffened. On top of her head was a pair of black cat ears. She wore a black kimono with a red obi and her hair was decorated with a headband that had two bells attached to it.

"NYAAA!? That was you!" Kuroka argued childishly, pointing at the Sun Goddess.

A flash of lights alerted them all to two new arrivals. An old man wearing white robes stepped out, followed by a woman with brown hair and blue eyes. The woman wore a silver dress with long sleeves while the man wore a monocle. The man smiled as he eyed all the women in the room, causing the woman to sigh and smack the back of his head.

"Ymir's beard, Frigg! That really hurt!" the man said.

"It was supposed to dumbass. Geez, Odin, focus for a minute will you," Frigg said.

Following Odin and Frigg's arrival, other pantheons began to arrive as well. The Jade Emperor, as well as Guanyin, arrived almost immediately after Odin. The Persian Gods, Mithra, and Srosh arrived.

Mithra flicked her crimson red hair out of the way as her pink eyes analyzed the room. Every deity flinched under her gaze as she walked to her seat. Despite appearing as a fifteen-year-old girl, Mithra was one of the most powerful deities in the room and the aura she gave off sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Even after all this time, Lady Mithra still makes me want to shit my pants," Poseidon whispered to Azazel.

"Didn't you guys beat them during the Trojan War?" Azazel asked.

"Yeah, but that was because she and Verethranga didn't want to participate in something they saw as pointless," Poseidon said.

After several more deities arrived, Ra being the most prominent among them. He nearly crashed through the roof when he arrived with Set, Isis, and Osiris cursing their father's driving skills.

Ra merely laughed as he got off his solar boat and willed it back to the Duat. Ra had the appearance of an old man wearing white pharaoh's robes. His golden eyes shone with power as he eyed the room.

Behind him, Osiris stood there, shaking his head as his green eyes stared at his father. Isis walked over and placed a hand on her husband's shoulder, her blue eyes and raven black flowing hair shining in the light.

"Haha! Most of you don't know this since none of you were even born yet but we haven't had a meeting like this since Ilu came to us with his pet project!" Ra laughed.

"That's right. It has been a while," Michael said as he appeared in the room with Gabriel in tow.

"Ah, Michael boy," Ra greeted. "How's life as God treating you?"

"I have no idea how Father and Mother did it," Michael said.

"It's like babysitting no?" Ra said, patting his shoulder.

"Honestly, I wish Elder Sister was in this position instead of me," Michael confessed.

"Ah yes, Ashtar was always the most prominent of the bunch. Even had the balls to kill off the newborns during Ozymandias's rule," Ra said.

"Moses told me to tell you that he's sorry for what he did to Ozymandias and Nefertari all those years ago," Gabriel said, turning to Osiris.

"I'll be sure to tell him. Don't worry," Osiris said.

"Oh, where's Az-nee?" Penemue said, walking over with Serafall and Grayfia following behind her.

"Eh. You know her. Public events were never her thing," Gabriel said, smiling.

"Gabriel," Serafall said, eyeing her rival.

"Sera," Gabriel said, smiling in a way that infuriated the small Maou.

Over at the side, Ra sat with Sirzechs, Azazel, Poseidon, Ajuka, Odin, and Zeus, conversing amongst themselves. Poseidon, Odin, and Azazel ogled the female populace as they mentally made notes at which one ranked higher if they were to do a pageant with all the devils, angels, and goddesses in the room.

Poseidon giggled pervertedly. A swimsuit contest between the most powerful female supernatural beings.

"Hey, they'll catch on to us if you keep looking," Azazel said, smacking his arm.

"Right," Poseidon said.

"And besides," Odin said. "Do you really want Osiris to come over here to saw your dick in half for staring at his wife?"

Poseidon shook his head as he looked away from the Egyptian beauty.

"Still though," Azazel said. "Who do you think is better between the two? Aphrodite? Or Isis?"

"Me, obviously."

The three jumped when they saw a woman with raven black hair, floating in midair. She giggled as her red eyes twinkled with delight. She possessed an alluring beauty and wore barely anything. All she wore a white ornate tube top shirt that looked more like a bra than a shirt. She also wore white short shorts and a black tube sock on her left leg.

"Inanna," Azazel said.

Inanna floated down to one of the chairs and sat down.

"So, what are we lookin at boys?" Inanna asked as she joined in.

"If the goddesses here were to be in a swimsuit competition, who would win?" Poseidon said.

"Hmm, I'm not as narcissistic as Aphrodite as to vote for myself," Inanna said. "Isis, probably. Or my older sister."

"Huh?" Odin asked. Inanna pointed to a blonde woman who looked exactly like her only she wore a black hoodie with a black skirt and black leggings. In fact, she just wore all black except for the golden tiara on her head.

"Ereshkigal?" Azazel said.

Inanna nodded.

"That looks like fun. Can I get in on this?"

Inanna turned and saw a handsome young boy with black and green hair that gave off the appearance of it being blue. He wore a black suit with green pants as his emerald eyes looked at Inanna.

Next to him was a pretty young girl with luscious violet hair and purple eyes. But even her young persona did not help in hiding her curvaceous figure. Like the boy, her face struck fear into Poseidon and Odin as they hid behind Azazel and Inanna.

"Oh, Shiva and you even brought Parvati," Inanna said.

"Hello, Ishtar," Parvati greeted happily.

"Well, I was bored with the paperwork that came with Indra blowing up and island so I dumped it on Vishnu and Brahma," Shiva said, leaning back in his chair.

"What about you?" Ra asked Parvati, finally turning around to talk to them.

"Lakshmi and Saraswati weren't so happy about me running off but, Shiva is right. I was bored," Parvati said. "Is that why you're here instead of in the Duat Ra?"

"Mostly. I just want to see what these kids come up with," he said.

"I'm not a kid," Azazel said.

"You're only as old as the Titans Azazel," Ra said. "To us, you're still a kid."

"You never treated Nee-sama like this," he pouted.

"That's because Astar earned her place and she was much older than you," Shiva said, sipping from the wine glass.

"Can I have your attention?"

The Elder Deities, Inanna, Odin, Poseidon, and Azazel all turned to see Serafall standing atop one of the tables, clicking a spoon against a wine glass.

"Thank you all for coming here today! We'll get to the discussion later but for now…," Serafall said, reaching into her pocket for her wand. She grabbed it and pointed it into the air.

"LET'S PARTAY!" she shouted.

The gods cheered as the party went underway. Songs were sung. Drinks were drunk. The gods cheered as Serafall and Gabriel entered a sing-off with Sirzechs and Michael facepalming. Set and Inanna settled an old bout that they had and began to arm wrestle. The two were evenly matched before Inanna's eyes glowed gold and Set's arm was embedded into the ground, shattering the table.

Parvati and Ereshkigal sighed while Ra and Shiva laughed at the sight. As Ereshkigal apologized to Sirzechs for property damage, Shiva's eyes narrowed as he sensed a spike in power. He looked at Ra, who was already scanning the Earth for the source.

Ra nodded, confirming that he had located it as Shiva opened his third eye. Everyone froze. Parvati looked at her husband in worry as the last time he opened that Eye, the Beast was wreaking havoc all over the Earth.

"So that's what's happening," Shiva muttered under his breath. His third eye closed and he smiled at them.

"Sorry, everyone. False alarm," Shiva said.

Everyone calmed down as they released a breath they didn't even know they were holding.

"Shiva-sama! Please don't scare us like that!" Sirzechs said.

Shiva merely smiled.

"My apologies," he said.

The festivities continued with several more deities arriving. Dagda and Lugh from the Celtic Pantheon, Belebog and Czrenobog from the Slavic Pantheon, and Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl from the Aztec Pantheon were the most prominent arrivals.

Sirzechs had hoped one more god would show up but she never did. Ophis remained aloof and never came even though the Great Red assured him that he would get her the invitation.

"Well, then, I think we should get our official business out of the way now," Sirzechs announced.

The occupants of the room turned to look at him.

"As you know, the Beast 666 was sealed due to the combined efforts of all the Pantheons in the world and for that, I would personally like to thank you. I know that most of you would have had the right to refuse to help us out considering what our followers did to yours," Sirzechs said as a chorus of agreements rang out through the room.

"But you didn't leave us out to dry and for that we thank you. Thank you for choosing the world over us," Sirzechs said, bowing.

Everyone clapped and cheered at Sirzechs's speech. Sirzechs stood up and summoned a massive treaty. One that would unify the entire Supernatural World under one banner.

"In this treaty is an outline for a form of government that would be similar in function to the United Nations that humans have," Sirzechs said. "I would like your help in hashing out the details before we move on. Take note, this could take a while."

The occupants of the room nodded as they all gathered around Sirzechs and began to discuss the treaty.

Minutes became hours in which several deities had back and forth debates about limits and representatives as well as the process of proposing international laws that all pantheons had to abide by when conducting business with other pantheons. Several pantheons such as the Greco-Roman Pantheon wished to have other pantheons keep out of their business with the Shinto and Norse Pantheons arguing that back that their business nearly results in the destruction of the United States.

"Okay, okay, here's what we have so far," Azazel said, calming them down. He grabbed the treaty and began to read from it.

"Ahem… so we have agreed that each pantheon is allowed to select two representatives to this new council. How they are selected depends on the pantheon however, a stipulation that was proposed by Belebog and seconded by Athena was that Pantheon Heads are not allowed to be representatives. Is that agreeable for everyone?" Azazel asked.

Everyone nodded.

"The second thing we agreed on is that any event that we have classified as at least a Second Class Event which is a major interpantheon conflict scenario or something similar is that we try and mediate some sort of peace between the two parties," Azazel said.

"What about a terrorist attack such as Qliphoth?" the Jade Emperor asked.

"In that case, the Pantheons unite together to eliminate the threat. In the case of a Zero Class Event such as Trihexa, we will do the same," Azazel said, laying the paper down for all of them to see.

Shiva's eyes drifted down to a section of the paper. "What is this one?" he asked, pointing to it.

"That is a hypothetical threat level. An Aleph Class Event, which is a complete extinction event in which all lives, even those of the Dragon Gods are in imminent peril," Ajuka said.

The Gods looked at him like he had gone insane.

"I said it's hypothetical after all," he said, shrugging.

"The third and final thing we agreed is that there be a Head Council that presides over the meetings to act as both the final say in any laws passed and to act as the judges," Athena said.

"How do we select such people for a position?" Mithra asked.

"We vote. Unlike the representatives, the Head Council members must be voted upon by the members of the Celestial Council," Odin answered.

The gods nodded.

"Is that it?" Amaterasu asked.

"For now it is," Zeus said, pulling out a pen. The Gods took turns signing the treaty and when it was finished, the treaty was handed over to Azazel to file and make copies.

"Our first meeting will be after the building is finished. I have a projected date of when we should get it done. Lady Athena and I designed the building ourselves and with the help of Lord Hephaestus and several other forge gods, we decided that the location for this building will be above Mount Everest," Ajuka said.

"When is the projected date?" Poseidon asked.

"Sometime after November," he said.

"Now about those Rating Games!" Lugh said.

The other occupants sweatdropped at the sight.

"Right so, here are the rules Ajuka proposed," Azazel said, projecting a large screen with several blocks of text.

_Anyone can register as a King._

_A King can register anyone on his/her team as long as the targeted person isn't on another team._

_Note: The targeted person can be recruited if and only if, their King agrees to the proposal._

_Devils with multiple Evil Pieces will be treated as 1 Piece for this tournament except for Gods or Deity Class Beings which will automatically be counted as 2 pieces or 8 Pawn pieces._

_Teams win via the elimination of the opposing king._

_Losing Teams will be eliminated._

_The fifteen remaining teams shall participate in a battle royale._

_The winning team will have their "wish" granted_

_Registration will be in Lucifaad. Please go to the old Capitol Building, Ars Goetia, to register and receive your pieces. The pieces will only work in the Tournament._

_A scroll will be given to each participating King to alert them for upcoming matches, leaderboards, watching live matches, and to register their teammates._

"I guess all we need now is a name," Inanna said as she finished reading the rules.

"So, how do we decide the name?" Sirzechs asked.

Ra and Shiva looked at each other as shit-eating grins made its way to their faces.

* * *

The game the two Elder Deities proposed was Rock-Paper Scissors. There were many theories about this ancient ritualistic rite of combat to decide the fate of something of interest. Some speculated that this game was older than Ophis and Great Red themselves. That some absolute forces used this game to decide whether or not to create everything. Others say that the reason Ophis created the Khaos Brigade was that she lost a Rock-Paper-Scissors game to Great Red.

Several rounds of best two out of three matches were played. Cries of outrage could be heard across the room as deities were eliminated one by one. Not even the mighty Shiva made it to the final round.

Now, it was all on the last two players.

Amaterasu Omikami. Her proposed name was the Tournament of Power. Everyone loved it as it was a really good name for the tournament.

Across from her stood Azazel. Azazel was many things. A genius. An inventor. The former leader of the Grigori. Father to two and husband to one Cadre. But a narcissist? People always assumed he was but no one ever knew how far it went until now. His proposed name was… The Azazel Cup. Several people blanched at the thought of naming the tournament after Azazel. They might as well find a scapegoat and name the tournament after it.

Azazel stared down his opponent. A woman that was renowned as the most powerful goddess in the world. A being that rivaled or even equaled Indra in pure power. Though she was not officially among the Top 10, she had power equal to them.

Amaterasu looked at her opponent nervously. The man before her had power equal to a Satan Class Devil and at full power, rivaled the Pantheon Heads in power. His perversion knew no bounds despite the fact he was married and while she was confident she could outright kill him in combat, this match was not that. And in a match of cunning, the man before her could crush her like an insect.

Azazel and Amaterasu raised their hands, a trickle of sweat going down their foreheads.

Amaterasu gulped while Azazel furrowed his eyebrow.

"_ROCK!"_

"_PAPER!"_

"_SCISSORS!"_

"_SHOOT!"_

…

…

…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" everyone cried out in despair and frustration while Azazel pranced around the room, high fiving everyone he could find.

Amaterasu was on her hands and knees. Her emerald eyes were now dull pits of toxic despair as tears flowed like a waterfall from her eyes.

"I'm sorry everyone. I failed you. I don't deserve to exist. Yasaka-chan. Hand me the tanto so that I may perform hara-kiri," Amaterasu said, looking at the Kitsune with dead eyes.

"Pull yourself together, Amaterasu-sama," Yasaka said as she helped the Sun Goddess to her feet.

"Alright, everyone. I think we're done for now. It's been… wow, nearly 48 hours since we started," Ajuka said, whistling as he checked his watch.

Everyone groaned at the prospect of doing more work but began to leave anyway. Amaterasu left in a vortex of black flames, still crying over her loss.

Ra walked over to Azazel and patted him on the back.

"And you wonder why I call you a kid and not Helel," Ra said before disappearing in a flash of golden light.

Soon, it was just the Biblical Pantheon that was left within the room. Penemue and Shemhazai had long since left as to catch up on any backlog that might have built up in their two-day absence.

"Hey, before you guys leave, I want to talk about Issei," Sirzechs said, halting the Archangels and Fallen Archangel in their tracks.

Michael and Gabriel turned around to face Sirzechs while Azazel crossed his arms.

"What about Issei?" Azazel asked.

"We've been discussing it amongst ourselves and even gained the support of the Elder Council for this," Sirzechs said. He inhaled deeply before saying his next words. "Issei is going to be promoted to High-Class."

Michael and Gabriel looked at each other before Gabriel looked back at Sirzechs.

"Yes, I believe that would be wonderful. He's done so much as of late. I think that he deserves this after everything he's been through," Gabriel said.

"Yeah, I agree with Gab-nee. Issei's been through a lot and the kid deserves a break," Azazel said.

"Hard to believe that you could be capable of raising a kid with such a good head on his shoulders, Otouto-chan!" Gabriel said, flicking his cheek.

Azazel grumbled as a tint of red appeared on his face while he rubbed his cheek.

"Well, if that is all, I'm afraid that we must take our leave. Thank you for inviting us," Michael said as he and Gabriel disappeared, leaving behind the sound of flapping wings.

"I'll go too. I need to check up on Vali anyway and maybe tell Issei what happened," Azazel said.

"Hey wait, Azazel! If you would, I would like to tell Issei personally. Rias is bringing her peerage in a few days. She says she has someone she wants us to meet," Sirzech said.

Azazel quirked an eyebrow before nodding. Azazel saluted them as he disappeared in the same manner as his older siblings did.

"Man, I'm really jealous of that instantaneous teleportation," Sirzechs said.

"Then go ask Zekram to teach you or something. He doesn't use magic circles to teleport either. Anyway, I'm going to go prep the lab for this weekend. See you around Sirzechs," Ajuka said as he disappeared in a green magic circle.

"I need to go tell So-tan about this. Bye Zechs-chan! Gray-chan!" Serafall said as she vanished in a sparkle of pink light.

Falbium merely nodded at them and stepped into his own magic circle and disappearing from the room.

"Just a few more days," Grayfia said.

"Yeah, things are really looking up for us," Sirzechs said as he bent down to kiss his wife on the cheek. The two interlocked their hands and disappeared in a flash of crimson light.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, October 15, 2019, 10:00 AM**

* * *

Vali sighed as he made his way up to the front door of Hyoudou Manor. He decided that now was a good time to check on Issei as it was getting in the way of his training. Possible scenarios of what he might find assailed his mind as he slowly reached for the doorbell.

"_What if he's dead Albion?_" Vali asked.

**{He's not going to be dead, Vali. It only occurred for a split second.}** Albion said.

"You're right. This is stressing me out. I just need to see and then we can get back to training," Vali said.

The door slowly opened to reveal Mitsuki, Issei's twin sister, standing at the door wearing nothing but a baggy shirt that was two sizes too large for her and grey sweatpants.

Mitsuki looked up and saw Vali before standing straight.

"V- Vali! What are you doing here?" she asked. _Oh Maou, I look horrible too!_ She thought.

"Oh, I'm here to see Issei. Do you know where he is?" Vali asked. His heart was racing as he talked to her.

"Oh, Irina and Aniki went out to do groceries," Mitsuki said as she and Vali sat down in the living room.

"I thought he'd be training for the games," Vali said as he looked at the TV.

"He is. It's just… today was his turn to do the groceries," Mitsuki said as she grabbed her box of Krave Cereal which she had left out on the table. She grabbed a few pieces and popped them in her mouth.

"Want some?" Mitsuki asked as she held the box out to Vali.

"Sure," Vali said as he reached into the box and grabbed a few pieces.

Vali looked down as he tried to formulate how to tell Mitsuki that he sensed her twin enter the **[Juggernaut Drive]**. Deciding to take a leap, Vali looked at her.

"Hey, Mitsuki. I don't know how to tell you this," Vali said.

Mitsuki looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Issei. Your brother. I sensed him enter the **[Juggernaut Drive]** a few days ago," Vali said.

"I know," she said.

"And so, I think we need to… what?" Vali looked at her like she had sprouted a second head.

"I know. He told me," she said.

"Wait, then why didn't you guys tell anyone!?" Vali asked.

"We did. We tried calling Ajuka, Sirzechs, Azazel, hell even Odin but no one picked up," Mitsuki said.

"Oh," Vali said as he focused his attention back at the movie.

"Yeah," she said.

"What happened anyway? To make Issei like that," Vali asked.

Mitsuki looked down.

"It's not my place to tell. You should ask Aniki sometime when he gets back," Mitsuki said.

Vali nodded before returning his attention to the movie.

"Yeah, I'll do that. If only to make sure my rival is still in one piece," Vali said.

"Tsundere."

A doorbell rang, catching their attention.

"That's them," Mitsuki said, standing up and walking to the door. Vali followed her. The door opened to reveal Issei and Irina holding several bags of groceries.

"Here. Let me help with that," Mitsuki said, grabbing some of the bags. Vali took some of the load off Issei and the four carried it to the kitchen.

"So, Vali," Issei said as he placed the bags down. "What brings you here?"

"Well, Hyoudou, if you must know, I'm just checking if you're in peak condition for our upcoming fight is all," Vali said, smirking.

"I'm still up for it if you are, bastard," Issei said.

Vali smirked before becoming serious.

"What happened?" Vali asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Issei asked.

"A few days ago, I sensed you activate the **[Juggernaut Drive]** and now Albion says he can't sense Ddraig," Vali said. "So I want to know. Just what the hell happened?

Issei looked down at the produce he was holding, his grip tightening on the poor box. Issei sighed before looking at Vali. He was getting tired of telling this story. However, despite that, Issei told Vali everything that happened from the discovery of Rias and Akeno with another man to his meeting of Trihexa and his removal of the pieces.

Vali's face remained emotionless while Irina and Mitsuki simply listened in the background. He looked at Issei for a few seconds before talking.

"Looks like they struck out," Vali said.

"Huh?" Issei looked at him curiously.

"Those girls. If they were willing to cheat on someone as loyal, kind, and supportive as you are, then they didn't deserve you," Vali said.

"Vali," Issei said as he looked at him.

"Don't let this bring you down Hyoudou. Find something new to fight for or rather, someone," Vali said, discreetly glancing at Irina. "Besides, if you go stale, you'll break our promise."

Issei looked at him shocked before his bangs covered his eyes and a small grin appeared on his face.

"I'd never go back on that promise Vali. We'll have our fight. I can promise you that but not as enemies," Issei said, holding his hand out.

"As rivals," Vali said, grasping his arm.

"As brothers," Issei said.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**The Soldier of No Sorrow: That is going to be hilarious. I'm totally going to use that!**

**18Andrew: Yes, they will.**

**Scrumblenut: Welp, I hope that you're safe and have taken precautions (you probably did) in protecting your self from the fires in Australia. **

**AnimeFan0216: Hmm, what race is Issei? Well, that's up for debate now. If you can guess right, I won't confirm it nor will I deny it.**

**For those of you who were here for the original version of this chapter, this was the chapter they were supposed to find out what happened to Issei. But as you've noticed that did not happen. I decided why not let them stew and find out later. When Azazel decides to visit. I've made some changes to Eden Squad, swapping out some members here and there. Actually, I'll let you guys decide whether or not I should keep the original members or swap out Kiba for Vali or Gasper for Vali or Rossweisse for Kuroka. The poll will be live immediately after this chapter goes up. Anyway, review. Follow. Fav. And have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours! **

**PS: I put something obvious in this chapter that you should have all noticed. Please give them a congrats in the reviews if you know what I'm talking about.**


	6. Revelations

**New chappie. This will be the last week with multiple posts as my semester starts next week. Thursday schedule shall resume next week. So I don't have much to say.**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Kuoh Academy, October 19, 2019, 3:00 PM**

* * *

Issei stretched his arms as he made his way out of the classroom. Today was one of those days when they had a substitute teacher. Ashley had called in all of her sick hours and just up and left. Said it was a family emergency. Issei hadn't heard from her in several days and their substitute was a teacher from the University.

"Man, what I wouldn't give for a massage right now," Issei complained as he felt his vertebrae pop.

"I can give you one when we get home."

Issei turned to see Irina smiling at him, her violet eyes twinkling in mischief. Issei's face turned red as blood slowly started to leak out of his nose. The image of Irina clad in nothing but a black lacy bra and panties with her entire body oiled up appeared inside his mind.

"_You look tense, Issei. Please let me… help with that," imaginary Irina said as she pressed herself up against him._

"OW!" Issei rubbed the back of his head when he saw Irina looking at him with a scowl on her face. Her fist was steaming as she looked at him.

"You were thinking lewd thoughts weren't you?" Irina asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Issei chuckled and took her bag from her and slung it over his shoulder.

"My thoughts are one thousand times more lewd than you can possibly imagine," Issei said.

"Pervert," Irina huffed, walking off.

Issei smiled before walking after her.

"Don't be such a bitch," Issei said in a smug tone.

"Can it, jerk," Irina said.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Irina asked as they walked out of the school.

"Hmmm, I was thinking of training this weekend to get back up to par with what I was when I was a Devil," Issei said. "Maybe find out the requirements for signing up for this tournament thing that Mitsuki was going on about."

"That would be a fun thing to participate in. She did say we can be on teams," Irina said.

"We can fight together!" Issei said. Irina smiled at his enthusiasm as she opened the gate to the house. As they walked up to the door, Issei froze. Upon reaching for the doorknob, Irina noticed that Issei had fallen behind. She turned around and looked at him curiously.

"What?" Irina asked.

"They're here," Issei said.

Irina stopped reaching for the doorknob and walked up to Issei. She walked up to Issei and cupped his cheek with her right hand.

"Issei, you don't have to go in if you don't want to," Irina said.

"I know but I-!"

_DRAGON DRAGON OPPAI DRAGON _

_CLICK-CLICK ZOOM-ZOOM IYAAAN _

Issei blinked when he heard his phone's ringtone go off. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and was surprised by the caller. He slid to answer and placed it up to his ear.

"Yellow?" Issei said.

"_Issei. I need your help. My car is broken and I'm trying to go somewhere,"_ the caller said.

"What? Murayama? Slow down. What are you saying?" Issei asked.

"_I'm saying that there's something wrong with my car and the only person I know who knows how to fix one just so happens to be the biggest pervert in the school and my cousin so please, come over to my house and help me fix my car," _Murayama said.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there in a few," Issei said before hanging up.

"Looks like my cousin's car broke down," Issei said. He handed Irina her bag. "I'll see you later yeah?"

"Oh, Issei and… Irina?"

The two turned to see the door open. Eren stood there, putting his shoes on. He was carrying a large wad of yen in his hand and had a bruise on the left side of his face.

"Oh, Eren," Irina greeted. Her eyes drifted down to the money in his hand. "What's that for?"

"Oh, this?" Eren said, holding the money up. "They sent me to get food for them."

"Really?" Issei said. "That's kinda… demeaning. I mean, they could always just order food online."

"I don't mind. It gets my mind off the fact that I can't… summon my Sacred Gear yet," Eren said.

Irina and Issei looked at each other before Irina walked over and swiped the wad of yen from his hand.

"Go with Issei to Inori-san's house. I'll go order some food to be delivered to the house," Irina said.

"Wait? What?" Issei said. Eren looked equally as confused as Issei did.

"Come on! Think of this as an opportunity to bond with your future brother-in-law, Issei!" Irina said.

"What?" Issei asked incredulously.

"Yup, so go you two!" Irina said, pushing Eren towards Issei and shutting the door behind her.

Eren gulped and looked meekly at Issei. He smiled awkwardly as Issei sighed and began walking back towards the gate. Eren walked immediately after him.

"So, looks like we're stuck together huh?" Eren said, chuckling nervously.

"Just… don't be annoying," Issei said as he walked down the street.

"So where does your cousin live?" Eren asked.

"She lives down the street from where I live," Issei said. "She and her parents were the only ones who moved here alongside us. The rest stayed in Kyoto."

"Oh," Eren said.

"I hope you're not just talking to me because you're trying to suck up to me. You know Asia doesn't like suck-ups right?" Issei said, smiling at Eren.

"Ummm," Eren blinked and tried to think of how to respond to Issei's statement.

"Relax! I'm messing with you," Issei said as he turned the corner. He saw the house he had been looking for. The house was the standard Japanese Suburban household with two stories. He walked up to the gate and rang the buzzer.

The gates swung open to reveal a girl with back length brown hair. Her bangs covered her forehead and had two pigtails decorating the side of her head. She wore a yellow zip-up jacket with a white blouse underneath. The girl also wore white shorts and had on a pair of pink fuzzy slippers. Her hazel eyes drifted over to Eren and quirked her eyebrow.

"Who's he?" the girl asked.

"Murayama, this is Asia's boyfriend, Eren," Issei said, gesturing to him.

"Boyfriend? And he's still alive? Props to you," Murayama praised as she led them inside.

"So what's wrong with your car?" Issei asked as he followed her to her house's carport.

"I really don't know. I tried to start it but it wouldn't go. The lights still work so the battery must still be full and when I popped the hood, smoke came out of the car," Murayama said.

"Must be the engine. Eren and I'll have a look at it," Issei said.

"Wait, me?" Eren asked, pointing to himself.

"Yes, you, now come on," Issei said.

* * *

**Bifrost Terminal, Asgard, 4:15 PM**

* * *

Asgard. The Divine Realm which housed the Aesir and one of the Nine Norse Realms. It is here that the King of the Gods, Odin, makes his home. Asgard was a massive sprawling city with large buildings made of lustrous steel and wood. The streets were littered with people of all kinds, mingling with each other and walking. A massive palace stood at the center of Asgard. The palace was massive, towering above all the other buildings and seemed to be comprised of multiple towers and structures all arranged in a triangular formation. The entire palace gave off a golden shine, giving off the appearance that it was made entirely out of gold.

Past the life of the city, there was a large building that was connected to the rest of Asgard via a bridge. It is here that a woman stood in line with everyone else. The woman had long silver hair that reached down past her waist stopping just barely above her thighs. She had two ahoge sticking out of her hair while her bangs framed her jaw and reached down to her chest. The woman had mesmerizing turquoise eyes and wore a blue dress with a beige shrug jacket that accentuated her curves. The woman walked forward, nervously gripping two passports in her left hand and the hem of her dress with the other.

"Um, Rossweisse-sensei?"

Rossweisse looked down and saw an androgynous blonde vampire. If you were to ask anyone, they would say that the vampire before them was female only for their souls to be crushed upon the revelation that the vampire was a male. The vampire had pink eyes and a hair styled in a hime cut. The effeminate vampire wore a pink jacket with a black skirt and long socks that stopped at halfway up his thighs. He looked up at the woman next to him and pointed to the empty spot in front of her.

"Next in line, please," the Valkyrie at the front said.

"Oh, right! Sorry!" Rossweisse stepped forward and handed the Valkyrie the two passports. The Valkyrie looked at Rossweisse's passport and then the vampire's before granting them passage.

"Destination?" a man asked as they stepped onto a circular platform.

"Kuoh. Hyoudou Manor. Oh, and drop us off at the front Lord Heimdall," Rossweisse said politely.

"Of course," Heimdall said as he slammed his sword into a slot and twisted it.

"Hang on Gasper," Rossweisse said. Gasper nodded and held onto Rossweisse's hand as the two disappeared in a flash of multicolored lights.

Irina sat on the couch, her head propped up on her hand as she lazily shifted from channel to channel on the TV. She began regretting staying here and not heading over to Murayama's house with Issei as boredom began to creep in. And most of all, Irina was still waiting.

"Where's that pizza!?" Irina complained as she sat up and changed the channel once more.

The doorbell rang and she shot to her feet, sprinting towards the door.

"Finally! I've been waiting for half an… hour? Rossweisse?" Irina said as she saw the silver-haired valkyrie standing at the door. Irina's eyes traveled down as she saw the blonde trap of a dhampir standing next to her with a confused look on his face.

Rossweisse looked at Irina strangely.

"Waiting for someone?" Rossweisse asked.

"Yeah, I ordered pizza thirty minutes ago," she said.

"Oh, good. We're starving," Rossweisse said as she walked past Irina and into the house. Gasper followed after her and Irina closed the door behind them.

"Welcome back by the way," Irina said as she walked with Rossweisse into the living room.

"It's good to be back. By the way, I've been trying to call you all but no one's been answering and I was getting worried. What's been going on?" Rossweisse said as she plopped her butt down on the couch and leaned back, putting her feet on the table.

"Nothing… much," Irina said as memories of the past few days began to seep into her mind.

"Nothing much?" Rossweisse asked.

"Yeah, well, I've been on a mission these past few days so how would I know?" Irina said. She felt her wings flickering despite being folded away.

"Uh-huh," Rossweisse said as she looked at the TV.

"Where's senpai?" Gasper asked.

"He's out right now," Irina said.

"And the others?" Rossweisse asked.

"Mitsuki got called out by Agares-sama and Rias and the others are in the basement training. Did you know that there's going to be a-?"

"Worldwide Rating Game?" Rossweisse finished as she grabbed the bag of chips that was lying on the table.

"Yeah. Did Odin-sama mention it or something?" Irina asked.

"Yeah, he did. Even told me the name. Did you know they're calling it the Azazel Cup?" Rossweisse asked.

"The what now?"

"Azazel Cup. They're naming it after Azazel-sama," Gasper said.

"Right. I was just confirming the fact that I heard what you said correctly," Irina said, rubbing her temples in annoyance.

The doorbell rang again and Irina got up to go answer it.

"I think that's the pizza," Irina said as she ran to the door.

* * *

**Grigori Headquarters, Same Time**

* * *

Azazel began to jitter in excitement as his pen made its way across the last piece of paper. The last thing in Creation that kept him shackled to his office. As his pen finished its stroke on the signature line, Azazel placed the paper into the finished pile and slowly stood up. He walked around his desk to the center of his study and stood there, unmoving for several seconds before…

"FINALLY! I'M FREEEE!" Azazel yelled as he jumped up and down. A CC appeared in front of Azazel, causing him to groan as he answered it.

"Hello?" Azazel said.

"_Dad?_" the caller said.

"Ambriel? What is it?" Azazel said as he walked over to his liquor cabinet.

"_I was wondering if I could grab something from your lab. I need a stabilizer. Baraqiel-Oji-san broke mine when he hit Sanguine Twilight to hard in a spar,"_ Ambriel said.

"Sure. Come by later. I'm a bit busy right now," Azazel said.

"_Okay. Love you dad! See ya!"_ Ambriel said as she hung up. Azazel sighed and saw something in his voicemail box. His eyes bugged out when he saw the number of voicemail. A majority were from Issei but there were some from Asia, Mitsuki, and Kiba as well.

"Jesus! I wondered what they needed," Azazel said as he selected one of Issei's voicemail messages.

"_Sensei? It's me Issei. I think something's wrong with my pieces. Call me back if you get this."_

Azazel raised an eyebrow. _Something wrong with his pieces?_

Ignoring the thought, Azazel played the next message.

"_Sensei. Please answer this. I can't take it any- AGGHHHHHH! Oh no! MAKE IT STOP!"_

Azazel's eyes widened as he began to play more and more of the messages. Each one tore away pieces of his heart and soul as he listened to Issei's suffering in gruesome detail. The horror he had on his face grew more and more until his voice managed to shakily command the CC to play the most recent message.

"P- play the most recent message from I- Issei Hyoudou," Azazel said.

"_Playing message from Issei Hyoudou, received on October 13, 2019, at 7:18 PM. Beep"_

Azazel waited there as nothing but silence came through the CC. His apprehension kept growing and growing until he jumped when he heard Issei speak.

"_Irina?"_

Azazel frowned. Irina? He listened to the tone of Issei's voice. It sounded… broken.

"_They killed her…. They killed her!"_

Azazel's eyes widened. Irina was dead? His horror grew when he heard Issei's sobs of anguish transition into insane laughter.

"_Hehehe… Hahaha, AHAHAHA!"_

_What happened to you, Issei?_ Azazel thought as the horrifying message played out.

"_SHE'S DEAD, DDRAIG!" _he heard Issei yell. Suddenly, the message went silent with the only audible noise being Issei's frantic breathing.

"_I- Irina?"_

"_..."_

"_Ddraig! It's Irina! She wants me to join her! M- Maybe I should!"_

Azazel's eyes widened as terror gripped his heart when he heard the next words that came from the CC.

"_**[Blade!]**_"

"_ISSEI NO!"_

Azazel froze as he heard a crashing noise and the sounds of struggling coming from the CC.

"_K- Kiba?"_

"_Damnit! What the hell was that!? You were about to slit your own damn throat!"_

"_Irina! She-... No no no! They're getting worse!"_

Issei's sobs came through the CC once more before the feed cut. Azazel stood there stunned at the revelation of what was going on with Issei.

_All messages from Issei Hyoudou have been played. Now playing messages from-_

Azazel swiped the recorder and gripped the bottle in his hand. The bottle began to crack before shattering, shards of glass flying all over the room. Azazel's eyes were wide in horror as the pressure around him began to glow. A bright aura of light surrounded his body as lightning began to crash outside his window.

"Issei, just what the hell… no, nows not the time to freak out," Azazel said as he reigned in his aura. "I need answers… what the fuck is going on!? Why didn't we know about this!?"

Azazel snapped his fingers as the broken glass flew from their places on the floor and reformed on the table. Azazel braced himself for what he would find as he teleported to Hyoudou Manor.

* * *

"And then I said that 'Hey. If you call my God fake one more time, I'll-"

The doors slammed open, causing Irina, Rossweisse, and Gasper to turn to the doorway. Azazel burst into the house, looking like death as his eyes frantically searched the household.

"Azazel-dono!? Haven't you heard ever heard of knocking!?" Rossweisse said as Azazel just ignored her and ran upstairs.

His actions left the three dumbfounded but just shrugged, chalking it up to something they called an Azazel thing. However, his actions bothered them but they decided to ask later.

"I wonder what crawled up his ass and died," Irina said as she continued to tell her story.

Azazel ran down the hall on the second floor towards his destination. He practically broke the door to Issei's room down as he ran inside. His violet eyes searched the entire room for something out of place. He walked around and noticed a box sitting on Issei's desk alongside a small familiar device.

"This is the recorder I gave him. But where's Issei?" Azazel said as he scanned the room. He ran his hand across the desk and jerked his hand back when he felt his life force being sucked out of him.

"What the…?" Azazel's eyes fell on what his hand had run into. The mahogany box that sat on Issei's desk.

He waved his hand, opening the box and his heart dropped.

"I need to tell the others," Azazel said as he forced the box shut and lifted it telekinetically. Azazel disappeared in a flurry of wing beats from Hyoudou Manor.

* * *

**Inori House, 7:59 PM**

* * *

"And done!" Issei said as he closed the hood. He looked over to Eren and Murayama who was sitting inside the car.

"Is it good!?" Murayama asked.

"Try it!" Issei said.

Murayama turned the keys and the engine sputtered to life. Murayama cheered in delight as Eren stuck his head out the passenger seat window.

"Told you it was the fuse!"

"Yeah, yeah, don't get a big head Elon Musk," Issei said.

"Come on! Get in the car. I'll take you two out to get some food as a treat!" Murayama said.

"Sure, I'm game," Issei said as he made his way to the back and climbed in.

* * *

**Ars Nova, 8:05 PM**

* * *

Azazel appeared in front of Sirzechs' office box, levitating next to him. He knocked frantically on the door to receive no response. He waited for fifteen seconds, tapping his foot against the floor as the last of his patience left him.

_Fuck it!_

Azazel kicked the door opened and his jaw dropped.

Sirzechs and Grayfia looked at Azazel like a deer caught in the headlights as Grayfia covered herself while Sirzechs desperately tried to pull his pants up. He grabbed Grayfia's uniform and threw it at her.

Azazel just slowly closed the door and stood outside. His face was blank before he heard a "Come in" from Grayfia. Azazel opened the door to see the Maou Lucifer and his wife sitting down at his desk. Their faces were red from embarrassment but Azazel ignored it and walked up to Sirzechs and placed the box down on his desk.

"Call. Everyone," Azazel said as he looked Sirzechs in the eye.

"What?" Sirzechs asked, looking between Azazel and the box.

"Call. Everyone. This is important. It has to do with Issei," Azazel said in a grave tone. Sirzechs nodded and motioned to Grayfia, who began to make calls to the other Maou and the Archangels.

Several minutes later, the room shook as the rest of the Maou and the Archangels appeared inside Sirzechs's office. Michael and Gabriel looked confused while Raphael and a red-haired angel just stood by.

An angel with white hair made her way forward and looked at Azazel in the eye. She had obsidian black eyes and tan skin. The archangel wore a blue shirt with a black skirt and sneakers with white socks on. Her eyes bore into Azazel as she scowled.

"What is it, brother? We were busy," the archangel said.

"That's why I called you here, Azrael. It's important. It has to do with your ward," Azazel said as he opened the box.

"Issei? What happened to him?" Azrael said as worry began to grow in her heart.

"Azazel, whose pieces are these?" Sirzechs asked as he reached in the box to grab it. He immediately jerked his hand back when he felt the pieces latch onto him and begin to drain his energy.

"W- Where did you get these?" Sirzechs asked as he looked down at them.

"Ajuka. I want you to run a scan on those pieces," Azazel said as he picked up the recorder. Ajuka nodded and gingerly grabbed one of the pieces, coating his hand in magic before doing so.

"To answer your question, those… those are Issei's pieces," Azazel said.

"W- What!?" Grayfia and Sirzechs yelled. Azrael stumbled back and fell back on a chair. Her eyes were wide in horror as she shook her head in denial.

"Y- You're lying…," Azrael said.

"I wish I was. I found them in his room. It has his signature all over it along with this," Azazel said, levitating the sphere.

"What is that?" Raphael asked.

"This is a recorder that I got Issei for his birthday," Azazel said.

The red-haired angel spoke up. His orange eyes bore into Azazel.

"Didn't your Ace need to head back to Kuoh because something happened to the Red Dragon Emperor, Ani-ue?" the angel asked.

Michael looked down, his hand on his chin.

"She did. You're right Uriel, she did," Michael said as he looked at him.

"What? Is there something you know?" Azazel asked.

"Irina. She was acting strangely and immediately asked to go home, leaving Griselda and Dulio to perform the debriefing. We let her because she told us that Issei had dragon pox… I had no idea it was more grave than that," Michael said as he gestured to the Pawn Piece in Ajuka's hand.

"I finished analyzing it," Ajuka said.

"What did you find Ajuka-chan!?" Serafall asked.

"It's not good… Issei's pieces were corrupted for a lack of better terms. It was triggered by a familiar code," Ajuka said.

"W- What code?" Grayfia asked.

"The Juggernaut Drive. It's the only thing I can think of that can trigger this. A little present left to Issei by the Beast," Ajuka said.

Everyone's eyes widened. The Beast did this?

"Wait? Triggered?" Azrael asked.

"It seems to only be triggered by unstable emotions. Whatever made Issei go or at least momentarily go into Juggernaut Drive must have triggered the energy," Ajuka said. "I don't even want to think of what would happen if these were left in his body for any longer, considering what they were doing."

"What were they doing?" Uriel asked.

"They were draining his life force slowly. Attacking him both physically and mentally," Ajuka said. "By my estimate, if these were still in there, Issei would have been dead in a week and a half, two if he's lucky. The best-case scenario of his death is that he would be a mummified corpse. The worst case… we wouldn't even have a body to bury nor a soul to mourn."

The room shook violently. Everyone stepped away as Sirzechs gritted his teeth, rage present in his eyes. A red and black aura began to pour out of him as everything it came in contact with corroded into nothing. The chair. The table. The molecules in the air around him. All gone. Reduced to nothing. The aura suddenly dispersed as Sirzechs stood there, fists clenched so tightly that he drew blood.

The temperature suddenly dropped as Grayfia was covered in a silver aura. Her tears poured down her face as her silver eyes became pits of bottomless despair. Ice began to form on the window panes as a chill began to slowly creep up their spines as if it were enjoying their misery. After a few minutes, Grayfia fell to her knees sobbing, her aura gone. Sirzechs and Azrael walked over and began to comfort her as the words that left her mouth broke everyone's heart.

"I'm sorry Otouto! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Grayfia sobbed while Azrael looked up at her twin. All the plant life in the room died as Azrael glared.

"Play the recording," Azrael said.

Azazel nodded and pressed the play button.

"_God I feel like that one girl_._"_

A projection of Issei appeared in front of them. Their eyes widened when they looked upon his form. He looked terrible. His eyes had dark circles under them, indicating that he got little to no sleep. His hair was messy and tear streaks ran down his face. The most worrying aspect was the black veins that seemed to travel across Issei's skin.

Azrael covered her mouth as she nearly threw up just from looking.

_**[I know that but… it's kind of poetic, isn't it? Make this memorable like Thirteen Reasons Why.]**_

"_Err… right. That's enough Netflix for you. Anyway, if you found this then congratulations! That means one of two things happened! One: My ass is grass and you need something to play at my funeral. Word of advice. I am a simple man with simple needs. I eat. I drink. I fap. And I yell at people online when they can't get their shit together so please, don't throw a massive funeral for me. Two: You finally decided to come check on me and found this little miracle," Issei said._

"_It doesn't really matter anymore. I'm doing this so the world might know what happened to me in case the worst-case scenario comes true. In several hours, Ddraig and I will attempt to remove my evil pieces," Issei said._

Their eyes widened. That… that was tantamount to suicide.

"_We even have a catchy little name for it. It's called Operation: KMS! Neat right? For those of you too old to know what KMS means, it basically means 'Kill Myself'," Issei said._

"_As to why I'm doing this, well for one, these little fuckers inside of me are the worst things that are happening to me right now and I would trade one of my kidneys to get them removed._

"_Second, I don't know about you but I like being alive. Living is good. Especially when the only girl who never went behind your back is a hot angel woman you've known all your life!_

"_So to whoever finds this… let's keep this our little secret okay! Or I swear, I will find a way to come back and haunt you. Also, tell Irina thank you and I… love her. Please. Do it for me. It's the one thing I'll ask from you, whoever finds this. "_

The feed cut and everyone just remained silent at what they heard.

"Well, at least we won't have to plan a funeral or anything," Azazel said.

Everyone turned and glared at him. Was he seriously making jokes now?

"Oh fuck off you dumbnuts. It's obvious that he's still alive," Azazel said. "How else would this box have made it into his room? Did it just magically grow legs and teleport like the rest of us?"

Everyone went silent at his words, relief growing inside their bodies.

"You know the most fucked up thing was that Vali told us about this," Azazel said. Sirzechs and Grayfia shattered when he said those words but none more so than the Silver Queen herself. It was her that kept Sirzechs from sending someone to go check on Kuoh. This… this was her fault.

"Who's going to tell Rias and the others?" Falbium asked.

"Right, we still need to tell her," Azazel said.

"I'll do it," Sirzechs said. They all nodded and Azazel grabbed the box from Ajuka and gave it to the red-haired Maou.

"Don't tell her why these are here. Keep those reasons to yourself. Until you can find out more, they're just as much to blame as we are," Azazel said.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to look at Grayfia.

"I- I'll go with you," she said, tugging on her husband's sleeve.

Sirzechs nodded and helped his wife to his feet. The two nodded at everyone else and disappeared in a crimson flash.

"I'm going to go and find some old contacts of mine," Azrael said. "Maybe go back to Kuoh and look for Issei there."

"Good idea," Azazel said. "That's all."

Everyone nodded and disappeared from the room differently.

* * *

Issei and Murayama laughed as Eren told his story.

"And then, my brother pulled off his underwear in public and added it to the line. He was so focused on making his teams' clothes chain the longest but forgot that he was in public and everyone saw!"

Issei guffawed as he nearly choked on his food, while Murayama hid her mouth behind her hands as her body was wracked with giggles.

"What a dumbass!" Issei said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Right?" Eren said.

The ringing of a phone could be heard in the restaurant as both Eren and Murayama pulled their phones out of their pockets.

Issei patiently waited, sipping his Pepsi as the two talked on their phones.

"I… have to go. Tou-san and Kaa-san are getting worried so I might as well see you later. Do you want me to drive you home?" Murayama asked, looking at her cousin.

"No, I'll stay out for a bit more. What about you Eren?" Issei asked.

"Asia is asking where I am so can I get a ride with you Inori-san?" Eren asked.

"Sure! See you Issei!" Murayama said.

"See you back at the house, man," Eren said as the two left the restaurant.

Issei smiled before he looked down at the bill. He kept smiling as his mouth opened and a transparent Issei began to leave his mouth.

**[PARTNER! DON'T DIE!]** Ddraig yelled.

"Ddraig… how did we spend so much?" Issei asked as he pulled out every last wad of cash from his pocket. He shuffled out of the eatery and made his way onto the street. The crisp autumn breeze nipped at his skin, causing him to slightly shiver. Issei zipped up his jacket and began to walk down the street.

"_Hey, Ddraig? When do you think we should leave to train for the Games? We also have to get more members. If peerages are participating, we'll need a full-fledged team to win_," Issei said.

**[Hmmm, your winter break is coming up in a few months. We'll leave then. Maybe go around the world for a bit and find prospective teammates]** Ddraig said. **[We could also train your powers for a bit. Maybe find you a proper familiar too.]**

"_Ryuuteimaru isn't that bad_," Issei said.

**[Issei. It's a boat.]** Ddraig said.

"_It's supposed to be the best boat in all of Norse Myth!_" Issei protested.

**[Yes, it is but you can't really rely on a familiar that's incapable of making decisions can you?]** Ddraig said.

"_..._," Issei remained silent at Ddraig's words.

"Fine, I'll go to the familiar forest on my break and get a _proper_ familiar," Issei said as he ran his hand through his hair.

**[Hey, who knows? You might get a dragon familiar like Asia]** Ddraig said.

"Yeah, let's just hope this one likes me-!" Issei turned when he heard crashing coming from the alleyway.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor**

* * *

Irina placed her hand on her cheek while Rossweisse blew her nose. Tears were streaming from her face as the scene in front of her played out.

"_I won't let go. I promise."_

"WHY!? IRINA! WHY DID JACK HAVE TO DIE!?" Rossweisse said as she shook the Cherub. Irina felt her head spinning as she was rocked back and forth by the Rook Strength of the Valkyrie before her as a Gasper sweatdropped on the seat next to them.

"Rossweisse l-let m-me go! Y- You're m- making m- me dizzy!" Irina said.

Rossweisse took her hands off Irina's shoulders and began to bawl into her hands.

"Geez… it's like you've never watched Titanic before," Irina said as she looked at the crying Valkyrie.

"This… this is the most romantic movie I've ever watched," Rossweisse said as a waterfall of tears streamed down her face.

"Eh," Irina looked at her with a bewildered expression and just chalked it up to the Valkyrie not having any free time while during her time as a university student.

A flash of red light drew their attention away from the TV and to the spot in the room behind the couch that was now occupied by Sirzechs Lucifer and Grayfia Lucifuge. The air the two carried into the house was one of depression. As if they had just lost someone that they held dear in their hearts. Their eyes were red-rimmed from what they assumed was crying and Irina's eyes widened slightly when she spotted the mahogany box in Sirzechs's hand.

"Do you know where Rias is? We… have something to tell all of you," Sirzechs said in a solemn tone.

Irina adopted a confused look on her face before pointing to the basement door.

Sirzechs nodded in thanks and gestured for them to follow him and Grayfia into the basement.

Rossweisse and Gasper looked confused and were about to ask before Irina gave them a look. Once she was sure that they were out of earshot, Irina turned to them.

"Whatever you hear, do not tell them where Issei is," Irina said.

Rossweisse looked confused.

"But, why?" she asked.

"You'll see," Irina said as she stood and began making her way to the basement door.

Rossweisse blinked and looked at Gasper who just shrugged and began to follow her.

* * *

Rias smiled as Tatsuya fired slammed his palm on the ground and a massive spear of ice erupted from the floor, forcing Koneko to dodge. Her blue eyes twinkled as she thought of the victories she would achieve with such a formidable team.

"Things are going according to keikaku," Rias said as she crossed her arms underneath her massive breasts.

"Um, Rias-sama," Akeno said, tapping her shoulder.

"What?" Rias asked, looking at her queen. Akeno pointed to the door where Sirzechs and Grayfia stood there, looking like they had just been to a funeral. Rias's eyes widened.

_What's going on? Why does Nii-sama and Nee-sama look so… broken?_ Rias thought. A pit in her stomach began to form when she saw the small wooden box in Sirzechs's hands.

"Who's that?" Yuu asked as he sat upon the ground. He was panting heavily, just having finished a brutal sparring session with Kiba. The blonde knight did not pull his punches even on a newbie.

"Rias," Sirzechs said as he walked towards her.

"Right! Guys, this is my brother, the Maou, Sirzechs Lucifer!" Rias said as she gestured to him proudly.

Sirzechs and Grayfia looked at the group and noticed three faces that they didn't recognize. They filed that thought away as a question for later, deciding to just rip the band-aid off and get it over with.

"Sirzechs-sama," they turned and saw Irina walking in with Rossweisse and Gasper. "What did you need us for?"

Sirzechs motioned for the three to stand with Rias and the rest of the Gremory Peerage. Kiba and Asia made eye-contact with Irina and a look of understanding passed between the three. A look that was not noticed by anyone.

"Right, so, Rias. I need you to remain calm," Sirzechs said. "What we're about to say… it might… it might make you do something stupid."

Rias tilted her head in confusion.

"We found these in Issei's room," Grayfia said, handing the box to Rias.

She took the box from her sister-in-law and opened it. Her eyes widened as she dropped them.

"What…!? No, no no no no no no no no no no!" Rias said as she shook her head in denial.

On the floor, spilled from the box were eight pawn pieces.

"How did this happen!?" Rias screamed at her brother as tears began to flow down her face.

"Azazel. He came here to check on Issei for the games and found these in his room," Sirzechs said. "Rias, why didn't you tell us what was happening to Issei?"

As Rias moved to speak, she felt something inside her head, whispering to her.

_Issei was okay. Nothing happened to him. This is just a joke._

_What? NO, Issei's pieces. Issei is in trouble! Issei… who's Issei? Wait no! Issei is! Issei is!_

Suddenly, Rias gripped her head in pain as she fell to the floor, screaming as tears streamed from her eyes in greater volume.

"Onii-sama? Why are you talking about Issei? He's not important," Rias gasped as her eyes flashed pink. Her eyes were constantly flickering pink as Sirzechs saw the visible struggle inside of her.

"RIAS!"

Irina narrowed her eyes as she looked at the redhead.

Sirzechs knelt next to his sister and placed a hand on her.

"A spell," Sirzechs said as he began working on dispelling it.

"A spell? On Rias?" Grayfia asked.

"The magic. It's from the Naamah Family," Sirzechs said as he dispelled the magic.

"ISSEI!" Rias screamed as she looked around frantically. The past several minutes came crashing down on her as she looked at the pieces and began to sob.

"Grayfia, check the other girls," Sirzechs said.

Grayfia nodded and waved her hand. Every girl in the room was frozen up to their necks in ice.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Hiruko yelled.

"It's the same," Grayfia said as she took her hand off Akeno's head. "Naamah Family Magic."

Grayfia walked over to Asia and quirked an eyebrow when she sensed nothing. The same happened for Irina and Rossweisse.

"It seems that three of them aren't infected with the Naamah Family Magic," Grayfia said as she walked back to Akeno and began casting a counter-curse.

"How did this happen? The Naamah Family were wiped out during the Civil War in the final confrontation!" Sirzechs said as he consoled a sobbing Rias.

"More importantly… how did they get into this town?" Grayfia asked as she broke the ice around them.

"Nii-sama! Issei! He's… _*hic*_ HE'S!" Rias sobbed, pointing at the pieces.

"Relax, Issei isn't dead. He's just missing. Since he removed his pieces, we can't give him the status of Stray but the others are organizing a search party to scour the globe for him," Sirzechs said.

"Nii-sama! Let us help!" Rias said.

"No. You focus on getting better. The Naamah Family Magic, Luxuria, plays with the mind of its victims and while it's not perfect mind control, it is an extremely powerful suggestion spell so I suggest that you take the time to recover," Sirzechs said.

"I'll clean this up, Sirzechs-sama," Irina said as she moved the pieces telekinetically into the box.

Sirzechs nodded and looked at Rias.

"I'll be coming back in a few days with new pawn pieces for you," Sirzechs said as he and Grayfia disappeared in a crimson flash.

* * *

Azrael leaned back in her chair and covered her eyes with her arm. She gritted her teeth as a stream of tears began to make its way down her face.

"How could I not see? Issei… I'm sorry," she said as she sobbed silently.

"Ano… Azrael-sama?"

Azrael turned to see a girl in her early twenties standing at the door of her office. She had long waist-length light brown hair. Her eyes were light red and shone like rubies in the light. Atop her head was a pair of fluffy tanuki ears while a brown bushy tail could be seen on her behind. She wore a tan jacket with a white shirt underneath, a red skirt, black thigh-high socks, and brown boots.

"Ah, Risa," Azrael said, wiping her eyes. "What is it?"

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine… just thinking of the past," Azrael said.

"Oh, um, there's someone at the door. They said that they needed to see you immediately," Risa said.

Azrael blinked when she heard a loud knocking. She sighed in annoyance as she stood and exited her office, making her way to the door. When she opened it, her eyes widened in shock and her jaw fell open.

"AZ-NEE! I NEED YOUR HELP NOW!"

Issei stood at her doorstep with an unconscious red-headed little girl in his arms.

* * *

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**18Andrew: No, not as much but they will be stronger than canon. Note, I am not using Christianity's depiction of Angels like they do in DxD but rather the entirety of the Abrahamic Faiths and all its offshoots. That means Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, and some of Yazdânism. I won't use Mandeism because that won't really fit for this.**

**Scrumblenut: Maybe in the far future but for now, Aleph Class Threats shall remain entirely hypothetical.**

**AnimeFan0216: Hmm, that's actually an interesting idea but it would lose the purpose of them being on separate teams, to begin with, and that was to push each other. Anyway, I hope you're alright over there. I saw that there's currently an eruption happening.**

**Anyway, that was the chapter. I will go into depth more when the leaders discuss what exactly the Naamah Family Magic does (It's called Luxuria by the way which is lust in Latin). For those of you who don't know, Naamah is an ancient demon and is considered to be Lilith's sister in Jewish Apocrypha. In this one, Naamah is an extinct devil family or... are they? Anyway, review. Favorite. Follow. And remember, have a great day/night or not the choice is yours!**


	7. Lily

**Ah yes. Sorry if this is later. Fanfiction. net decided to be a little bitch last night and not let me upload any documents to the site. Anyway. Here's the new chapter. Hope you all enjoy!~**

**The countdown hasn't started if any of you noticed. Friendly reminder. The poll will end in the next two weeks so vote.**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

**Edit: Irina Retcon**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Azrael's Apartment, October 19, 2019, 9:57 PM**

* * *

"Issei!?" Azrael said in relief and joy as she saw the boy she looked after standing at her doorstep. Her black eyes traveled down to the small girl in his arms. The girl was filthy and had cuts and bruises all over her person. Azrael sighed when she saw Issei's desperate face and stepped aside, allowing the young man to run in.

Issei immediately placed the little girl on the couch as he frantically checked her over.

"Move," Azrael said as she stood behind Issei.

"But!" Issei flinched when Azrael barked at him.

"Step aside! I'll handle this. Stand over there with Risa," Azrael said, pointing to the brunette on the other side of the couch.

Issei nodded and moved over to where Risa was standing and watched carefully.

Not caring that Issei was in the same room, Azrael placed two fingers on the girl's forehead. Her eyes flashed silver as a high pitched ringing noise reverberated throughout the room. The girl's entire body began to glow as her wounds slowly knitted themselves back together. Color began to return to the girl's skin as she began to look healthier and healthier by the second.

After a few minutes, Azrael took her fingers off and sighed.

"H- How did you?" Issei said, pointing at her.

"Oh cut the act, you know what I am. And I know that you are… were a Devil under the service of Rias Gremory," Azrael said as she dusted her skirt off.

"Then you're a…?" Issei said, taking a slight step back.

Azrael smirked as a shadow was cast over the room. Her eyes began to glow as twelve silver wings burst from her back. A silver halo manifested above her head as a massive pressure fell across the entire room.

Issei fell to his hands and knees as he looked up at her.

"Yes, I am an Angel. An Archangel to be precise. And my name isn't Ashley. A pleasure to meet you once more Little Dragon. I am Azrael, the Archangel of Death, and the youngest of the Seven Archangels," Azrael said as she let up her aura.

Issei shakily stood to his feet and prepared to summon the **[Boosted Gear]** in the anticipation of a fight as Azrael approached him, her steps slow and steady, making her look menacing.

As her hand reached out to grab him, Issei felt an intense pain in his right ear as Azrael grabbed it and tugged on it.

"OW OW OW OW OW!" Issei yelped as Azrael pulled even harder. She dragged him over to the other sofa by his ear as Risa looked on with amusement.

**[BAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS HILARIOUS! HAHAHA! I NEVER KNEW THAT BINAH HAD THAT IN HER!]** Ddraig laughed as Azrael bent Issei over her knee.

"No! Please! NOOO- ITAAAIIII!" Issei yelled as Azrael's hand slammed down on Issei's ass with righteous fury.

"I'm too old to get spanked!" Issei screamed as Azrael spanked him again.

"Well, I wouldn't have to do this if you didn't just try and commit suicide!" Azrael scolded as she brought her hand down again.

"I'M SORRY! I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

Azrael's hand stopped mid-motion as Issei opened his eyes. He got off her knee and saw her broken face. Tears streamed down her eyes as she began to sob. Issei felt guilty and his heart began to ache at the sight of his adoptive older sister crying before him. He moved and hugged her tightly.

Azrael returned the hug with equal if not greater fervor as Issei felt his ribs beginning to creak as Azrael tightened her hold on him.

"Please… I can't lose another sibling," Azrael whispered. "Please don't die, Issei-chan."

Issei-chan. Only two people ever called him that. Azrael and one other woman. Issei's memories of her were fuzzy at best but all he could remember were her golden eyes and the warm aura she had. It made Issei feel like he belonged. To Issei, she was the only other woman other than Mitsuki, Asia, and Azrael that Issei would call his sister.

"It's okay, Az-nee… I'm alright. The pieces removal went off without a hitch," Issei said.

"I'm just… glad that you're okay!" Azrael said as she pulled away and wiped her tears off.

Issei smiled before the situation hit him once more. He turned to the little girl who was peacefully sleeping on the couch. Her chest moved up and down slowly as she breathed.

"What do we do about her?" Issei asked.

"For now. Nothing. Risa. Put her in Issei's old room for now. Issei, you can stay for the night and sleep in one of the guest rooms," Azrael said.

"Right," Issei said.

"Get some rest Issei. I expect you to tell me everything that led you to this foolish decision tomorrow. And then, I will decide whether or not to tell the others of where you are," Azrael said.

Issei gulped and nodded as he immediately ran to one of the guest rooms.

Risa glanced at Issei as he ran by her and sighed. She walked over to the Archangel, who was sitting on her sofa deep in thought. Risa walked over to the kitchen and made some tea.

Azrael looked up as Risa placed a cup of tea in front of her.

"Thanks," Azrael said as she grabbed the cup and began to drink.

"What do we do now?" Risa asked.

"For now, we keep quiet. I doubt Issei wants the others to know that he's alive. I'm sure that my older brother's ace has a hand in this somehow so don't expose her. As for you, did you recognize the girl?" Azrael asked as she looked at Risa.

Risa nodded as she looked down at the floor.

"It was the girl… from London. She was the first of the string of attacks that have been happening globally. One child missing. The rest of the family being murdered," Risa said.

"Risa. I want you to stop what you're doing and watch over Issei," Azrael said.

"Eh? What about the mission Raphael-sama gave me?" Risa asked.

"Leave that to me. I'll get Raphie to assign someone else to it. For now, watch over Issei and the girl. Her especially. We don't know if whoever is after her might come here," Azrael said.

Risa nodded.

"Starting tomorrow. You will move into the Hyoudou House with him and become my assistant teacher at the school," Azrael said.

"Should I inform Raphael-sama?" Risa asked.

"Yes, and oh, give him this report and remember, whatever you do, do not tell them that Issei is here," Azrael said. "The boy has enough on his plate as it is."

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, 10:45 PM**

* * *

Irina left the basement, her eyes wide at the revelation. Someone was controlling them?

_Wait, no Sirzechs-sama never said control. It was suggestion. Like a nagging thought in the back of their heads. They could have ignored it yet they chose to act upon those thoughts_, Irina thought as she entered the living room.

"Oh, hej Ilina!"

Irina turned to see Mitsuki, greeting her with a mouth full of pizza.

"Swallow first at least. I swear you're like a female Issei," Vali said as he waved at her. Mitsuki pulled her lower eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at him.

"When did you two get here?" Irina asked.

"A few minutes ago! Hey, where do Issei's parents keep their booze?"

Irina turned to see Bikou exiting the kitchen. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him walk by.

"Really? Raiding our kitchen?" Irina asked as she crossed her arms.

"I was hungry," Bikou said.

"There's pizza right in front of you," Mitsuki said as she stared at the monkey youkai blankly.

"Yeah but I wanted to see if they had chocolate mousse," Bikou said.

"Why on Earth would we have chocolate mousse?" Mitsuki asked.

"Where's Aniki?" Mitsuki asked as Irina sat down next to her.

"Out," Irina said.

"And the others?"

"In the basement crying," Irina said as she grabbed a slice.

"Crying?" Vali asked as he grabbed a slice of Meat Lovers.

"Azazel-sama came by earlier looking for Issei. I'm guessing he found the box and recorder. Sheesh, Issei-kun really needs to hide his stuff better," Irina said. Irina's phone began to go off, causing her to grab it and answer.

"Yes, this is Irina," Irina greeted.

"_Rin? Hey, um, listen. I'm with Az-nee right now and I'm going to spend the night since her house was the closest. Murayama took me and Eren out for food after we fixed her car and I was too lazy to teleport home or walk so…_," Issei said.

"Mouuu! Issei! Don't leave me alone to clean up this mess!"

"_What mess?_"

"The others found ou-!"

"Irina?"

The angel turned to see Rossweisse walking up the stairs with Rias and Akeno.

"Umm, I have to call you back," Irina said as she hung up.

"Who was that?" Rias asked as she sniffled.

"Az-nee," Irina said.

"Az-nee?"

"Our old baby sitter," Mitsuki answered.

"Oh. Umm, we have bad news," Rias said as she held the box in front of her.

Irina sighed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**Azrael's Apartment, 9:00 AM**

* * *

Issei yawned as he slowly sat up in bed. His groggy eyes fumbled for his phone as he slowly took the covers off. He blinked sleepily as he began to walk out of the room and into the hallway.

"Good morning. I see you're still not a morning person."

Issei turned to see Azrael standing in the hallway, wearing a red jacket and black pajamas as she sipped a cup of coffee.

"I wonder who I got it from?" Issei said dryly as he made his way down the hall.

"For your information brat, I'm an early bird," Azrael said as she followed him down the hall. "I made you your favorite breakfast."

Issei looked down at the table and saw a bowl of white rice, natto, and a fried egg on top next to a bowl of miso soup and some bacon on the side.

"Thanks, Az-nee," Issei said as he sat down and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. He clasped his hands together and blessed his food.

"Itadakimasu!" Issei said as he began to scarf down his breakfast.

"Slow down. The food's not going anywhere," Azrael said as she sat down next to him. She held her hand out and a piece of toast flew into her grasp. Azrael took a bite out of it and she watched Issei eat.

An image of a younger Issei eating breakfast on her counter appeared in front of her, causing her to smile fondly at the memory.

"So Az-nee, if I tell you what happened? Will you please promise not to tell the others?" Issei begged after swallowing the last of his food.

Azrael snapped out of her memories as she looked at him.

"Huh? Oh right. Sorry, I was thinking of some things…," Azrael said.

"Oh, that's alright. Sooo, will you keep me a secret?" Issei asked.

"I will. On one condition. We go to my brother's place to get a check-up," Azrael said.

"Brother?"

"Azazel," she said.

"Wait… sensei is your brother?" Issei asked.

"Yup, Azazel used to be one of the Archangels until he… he fell. He's my twin brother actually," Azrael said.

"Huh. I guess you're the annoying white canary he always complains about to Penemue-baa-san and me and Mitsuki," Issei said. He froze when he felt the air in the room get cold. Issei's eyes traveled over to the potted plant on her kitchen table that slowly began to wither.

"Annoying white canary?" Azrael said through gritted teeth.

Issei nodded meekly as Azrael's hair covered her eyes.

"I see. I guess I'll have to show Azazel what this annoying white canary can do," she said, grinning sadistically.

"Umm, Az-nee?"

"Yes, Issei-chan," Azrael said, dispelling her killing aura.

"You said you wanted to know why I did this?" Issei said.

Azrael's face turned serious as she looked at him. She had forgotten all about that while making breakfast. Her black eyes bore into Issei's hazel ones as she regarded him with a curious look on her face.

"Yes, I would very much like to know what drove you to remove your pieces. Which by the way, is the same as killing yourself," Azrael said.

Issei looked down and began to explain what had happened.

"I guess it started a month or so after Trihexa was sealed away. Rias and the other ORC girls started acting distant from me. They always blew me off. Had excuses as to why they couldn't spend some time with me. It was all very strange and it hurt me," Issei said.

"And this drove you to the Juggernaut Drive?" Azrael asked, quirking her eyebrow.

"I… it wasn't that. I'm guessing you know that through the recording?" Issei asked.

"Don't change the subject. But yes. Azazel found your recording. Anyway, continue," Azrael said.

"A few months after, I started having those dreams. The ones with the Seven-Headed Dragon. I couldn't sleep. Irina and my sisters tried helping me and then Kiba found out and he tried to help me too but nothing they did worked," Issei said.

Azrael remained silent as Issei told his story.

"A couple of days ago, I decided to find out just why they were being so… far away from not just me but everyone else. I followed them to the school," Issei said. He clenched his fist as tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he remembered that horrid moment. His entire body shook as he forced himself to continue with his story.

"I… found them in a room. Pressed up against some guy and doing… things to him," Issei said. "And after that, my mind just went blank. Ddraig said that I ran but I don't remember running. I felt pain. Nothing but pain across my entire body. Mitsuki found me at the park and carried me back. She said that she felt it too. After that, I went to sleep and then I woke up and walked downstairs to hear the girls talking about their… their," Issei gulped as he struggled to force the words out of his mouth. "Boyfriends."

"...," Azrael looked at him sadly as his body became wracked with sobs.

"Az-nee… did I do something wrong?" Issei asked. "Why did they do this?"

"I honestly can't tell you why they did what they did Issei, but you're better off without them," Azrael said. She placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "You don't have to tell me the rest, I think I got the gist but… who helped you in this little stunt of yours?"

"Umm," Issei said as he gulped. "Asia, Irina, Kiba, and Mitsuki all helped me."

Azrael sighed in frustration.

"Why is it whenever something goes wrong it's either one of you four, a combination of two or more of you, or all of you?"

"Because you love us?"

"Love is a very strong term to use in this situation," Azrael said.

"Well-!"

A scream from down the hall alerted them. Azrael shot out of her seat and disappeared before Issei's eyes with the only thing indicating that she was there were a few silver feathers. Issei snapped out of his daze and ran down the hall and saw the door to the girl's room open. Azrael was rocking the girl in her arms as the girl struggled to get away from her.

Eventually, the girl broke free and ran towards Issei and hid behind him.

"Eh?" Azrael looked confused as the girl hugged Issei's leg tightly.

"Ummm," Issei said as he knelt next to the girl.

"She seems attached to you," Azrael said.

"Ummm, are you okay?" Issei said as he reached out to touch her. The girl recoiled in fright as she raised her arms in self-defense. Issei immediately froze and backed off, retracting his hand as he looked at her with pity.

"Is she…?" Issei asked.

"A victim of abuse? Probably. Judging by the way she reacted, she must have been hit multiple times," Azrael said. Azrael walked over and knelt before the girl. She smiled before releasing a calming aura that made the little girl visibly relax though her entire body was still tensed up.

"Hello. I'm Az. What's your name?" Azrael asked.

The little girl looked at her before shaking her head and hiding behind Issei.

Azrael sighed once more. "She must have latched onto you. Where did you find her anyway?"

"I found her in a dumpster," Issei said.

"In a dumpster?"

"I was taking a walk after I got food and I heard a crashing noise coming from the alleyway. I went to go investigate and…"

* * *

_Issei turned and immediately went on guard as he heard a crashing noise come from the alleyway. _

_**[Be careful. I'm sensing High-Class Power coming from there]**__ Ddraig said._

"_High Class?" Issei asked. He summoned the __**[Boosted Gear]**__ and began to approach the noise slowly. Issei turned when he heard something fall and sighed._

"_Just a lid. Calm down Hyoudou," Issei said as he kept his guard up. "I can feel you! Come out!"_

_The sound of small feet caught Issei's attention as he saw the shadow of a rather small person peek out from behind the dumpster._

"_Come out now!" Issei said, pointing the __**[Boosted Gear]**__ at them. The figure yelped, which confused Issei as they meekly walked into the street light._

_Issei's eyes widened upon the sight of the High-Class being. In front of him was a little girl. She looked filthy. Her clothes were dirty and torn at the legs and sleeves. Her hair was covered in dust and was a dull rust color. Issei assumed her hair was bright red. Her blue eyes were dull and full of fear as she looked at Issei. She had a bruise on the left side of her face and Issei could make out more on her arms and shoulder._

"_Hey…," Issei said, unsummoning the __**[Boosted Gear]**__ and kneeling before her. "Are you alright? It's okay! I'm sorry if I scared you. I'm here to-!"_

"_PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" she yelled, raising her hands in front of her. Issei's eyes widened as he was blasted back by an intense force. Issei skidded and stopped when he hit the street light and looked up._

_The girl was backpedaling and hit a wall as she looked at Issei with frightened eyes._

"_I'm sorry. Please don't hit me," she begged as Issei got up and walked over to her. She closed her eyes and braced for impact when she felt nothing but the warm embrace of Issei enveloping her. The little girl opened her eyes and began to cry._

"_Shhh, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," Issei said as the girl continued to cry. Eventually, she passed out in Issei's arms and Issei gently picked her up._

"_I have to take her somewhere safe. Hmmm, Az-nee lives close to here. I'll go see if she's home," Issei said as he began to form a Transportation Circle._

* * *

"And then I took her here," Issei said. He reached out one more time in an attempt to pet her head. This time, the girl was too distracted by his story to react and Issei softly petted her head.

"Hey," Azrael said. The girl turned to look at her with a nervous expression still on her face.

"What's your name?" she asked. The girl tilted her head as if she didn't understand.

"I don't think she understands Japanese," Issei said.

"Hmmm, let's try English. Ahem. What's your name?" Azrael asked.

"Mummy says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said.

"Where… where is your mum?" Azrael asked.

The little girl teared up upon the mention of her mother. She began hiccuping as sobs made their way up her throat.

"She… she… the bad people killed Mummy," the little girl said.

Issei and Azrael's eyes widened. She was an orphan?

"What about your other family?" Issei asked in English.

"They're… they're," the little girl began to cry hysterically. "I want to go home! I want my mum! I want my big brother!"

Azrael looked at her sadly before looking at Issei. Issei's entire body was shaking in anger as he listened to what the little girl had said.

"You never told us your name," Azrael said softly.

"L- Lily," she said. "My name is Lily."

"Well, Lily. We're going to take you to the hospital okay. Are you fine with that?" Azrael asked.

Lily shook her head and backed away.

"Lils," Issei said. She looked at him at the mention of her name. "You were really hurt when I found you. This is just to make sure you're okay."

"I don't want to get a shot," Lily said cutely.

"You might have to but I'll be there," Issei said. She nodded and gingerly took his hand. Issei sighed. Her entire body was still tense as if she feared they would attack her. He could sense that she only went with them out of fear.

"Is she ready?" Azrael said.

"Let's get her some new clothes and food first," Issei said.

"Go to the guest room. Some of Mitsuki's old clothes are in there," she said as she led the little girl out of the room.

After getting Lily dressed, Azrael placed some Lucky Charms cereal in front of the girl. She looked at the bowl and then Azrael and back to the bowl.

"You can eat it. No one's going to hurt you for eating," she said.

The little girl looked at her suspiciously like and kept inspecting the bowl like a scavenger whenever it finds a carcass to feed on. After a few minutes, she gingerly picked up the spoon and began to eat. Her eyes lit up as the sugary goodness of the cereal hit her mouth and she began to shovel spoonful after spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Suddenly, Lily stopped, clutching her throat as she tapped her hand against the table.

Issei chuckled as he poured her a glass of water and slid it down to her. The little girl grabbed it and began to gulp the water down, a look of relief making its way onto her face.

"It's good right?" Issei asked. The little girl looked at him and nodded, a genuine look of happiness was on her face.

After she finished, Lily let out a small burp and her face turned red as she looked down at the ground. Azrael smiled warmly as Issei helped her off the stool.

"Lily, hang on. The way we're going to get to the hospital is… magic," Issei said in an attempt to appeal to her inner child.

The girl looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. She held his hand tightly and Azrael placed a hand on Issei's shoulder. The three disappeared from the room in a flurry of wingbeats, leaving behind only a few silver feathers.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, 10:30 AM**

* * *

Irina sighed as she stood in the kitchen, making her breakfast. She has woken up late due to Rias telling everyone that Issei had removed their pieces. She had informed them that they were under the influence of extremely powerful suggestion magic from the previously thought to be extinct Naamah Clan. And as she predicted, her peerage comforted her, Asia and Kiba more hesitant but they had to keep up appearances.

* * *

"_So that's what happened or at least, what Onii-sama told me happened," Rias said as she placed the box down in front of her._

"_Do you really expect me to believe that you would fall prey to some mind magic that does nothing but place a nagging voice in your head!?" Mitsuki said as she stood up and slammed her hands on the table. The wood splintered as the box was knocked onto the floor, spilling all of Issei's pieces. Rias flinched as she shrank away from the Hyoudou Sister's imposing presence._

"_My brother could be DEAD, because of you and you expect me to believe this bullshit!?" Mitsuki screamed as her aura flared. _

"_I… I," Rias stuttered as she tried to speak out._

_Vali and Bikou remained silent throughout the entire interaction. Rossweissse looked between Mitsuki and Rias while Akeno glared at the Hyoudou Sister._

"_Don't you understand a word she just said!? We were played! Someone implanted those thoughts into our heads! And it made us do the worst thing possible!" Akeno yelled as tears streamed down her face._

"_Boohoo."_

_Everyone turned to Irina, who sat there sipping some juice. Her violet eyes bore down on the entire Gremory Peerage, making the offending girls feel like a mouse before a lion. _

"_Like Mitsuki said, you could have easily ignored those thoughts yet you found them so compelling that you gave into them. I thought your love for Issei-kun would have been stronger than that or am I right to say that he was merely an accessory to increase your fame, Gremory," Irina said, spitting out Rias's family name like it was poison._

"_Irina. That's enough. You're taking this too far! If those thoughts were inside your head, you would've-!" Xenovia was interrupted as Irina slammed her against a wall, shaking the room and sending spiderweb cracks across the entire wall. Everyone's eyes widened at her action. Irina never lashed out. Ever. Against anyone._

"_I would've never fallen for such cheap thoughts. I would rather die than give in. My love for Issei is stronger than some momentary, cheap lust, whore," Irina hissed._

_Xenovia's eyes were wide with fear as Irina's violet eyes glowed with intensity. A high pitched ringing sound echoed throughout the room, increasing by the second as all the occupants were forced to cover their ears. _

_The ringing slowly died down as Irina let Xenovia go, causing the Devil to fall to the ground gasping for air._

"_What are you guys talking about?" Rossweisse asked. "I'm so confused. Rias, what do they mean by you falling to your lustful thoughts? Did you… No."_

_Rossweisse backed away from her, shaking her head._

"_Wait! Rossweisse. It's as we said. Those thoughts weren't ours! They were placed in our head by someone! To make us stray from Issei!" Rias protested._

"_I can't believe you! You actually fell for those! Why didn't you brush them away! Issei faces those thoughts on a daily basis yet he remains loyal to all of us! You most of all!" Rossweisse said, pointing at her._

"_Rossweisse. Please believe me when I say that it wasn't me!" Rias said._

"_You heard what Sirzechs said down there," Irina said. "It was suggestion. If it was perfect mind control, you would be off the hook but no, it was just implanting thoughts. Suggestion. You could have easily shrugged it off as a stray momentary lapse but you didn't. You went along with it. I'm starting to doubt how strong this love is that you claim to have."_

"_How dare you!?" Rias said, her rage boiling over. Her Aura of Destruction flared, disintegrating all the furniture around her. _

"_I dare."_

"_Take. It. Back," Rias said lowly._

"_Or what?" Irina challenged, unfolding all six of her wings. "Gonna go running to Issei?"_

"_ENOUGH!"_

_Irina and Rias backed down when Vali got between them, __**{Divine Dividing}**__ activated._

"_Look, it's late. Why don't we all get some rest and look for Issei in the morning? It's only been a couple of days. How far could he have gotten?" Vali said, glancing at the two of them. Irina powered down upon seeing the twinkle in Vali's eye._

"_Fine," Irina said as she sat back down on the couch._

"_Hmph!" Rias looked away in a huff and made her way back to the basement, followed by Akeno and Xenovia._

_Rossweisse looked between Irina and Rias, conflicted at who to follow. She sighed and eventually sat down next to the Angel._

"_So, is Issei really…?" Rossweisse trailed off, not wanting to finish._

"_Don't tell Rias. Issei is at his old babysitter's house. It was getting late and he was too lazy to teleport," Irina said, quietly._

"_But we should tell her that he's-!"_

"_She made her choice. Why should she get to know that he's okay?" Irina said coldly._

"_This is a bit too far don't you think?" Mitsuki asked._

"_No. I'll forgive them when Issei decides to move on," Irina said. "Until then, I'll only help them because of the camaraderie we shared during the battles with Qliphoth and Khaos Brigade."_

* * *

Irina paused when she felt someone enter the kitchen.

"Oh, Iri-chin? You're back?"

Irina turned and relaxed when she saw Miki Hyoudou. Miki Hyoudou was a woman in her late thirties but appeared slightly younger. She had long brown hair like her daughter and hazel eyes like Issei. She smiled as she walked forward to the sink. Irina stepped aside and let the older woman wash her hands.

"Have you seen Issei?" Miki asked.

Irina shook her head.

Miki chuckled. "That boy. Always a troublemaker. Why can't he be more like Mitsuki and Asia-chan?"

Irina just nodded mutely and kept preparing her food.

"It's a good thing he has Rias-chan and the other girls to keep him in line," Miki said.

"I have to go. Mitsuki and I are having a girl's day with Rossweisse and Asia," Irina said, smiling.

"Have fun, you guys!" Miki said.

* * *

**Grigori Headquarters, Tzalmavet, Hell, 11:05 AM**

* * *

"So, this is what the old man's lab looks like?" Issei said as he stared at some of the scientific tools on Azazel's tables. He picked up one of the flasks and started to shake it.

"Don't shake that," Azrael said as she lead Lily over to one of the chairs.

"What is this?" Issei asked as he held out a device that looked oddly like a calculator.

"That's a flux detector. It's designed to detect changes in the energy of another being," Azrael said.

"Ooh, oh look, I think Sensei was working on a new sacred gear," Issei said as he looked over the blueprints. "Huh, orbitars? That's an interesting concept. It looks like Sensei placed a small receptor on here that when it bonds to the wielder, it'll pick up on their neural waves and allow them to control them via their thoughts."

"What?" Azrael looked over at Issei with a bewildered expression on her face. Her black eyes looked at him with a hint of pride. Pride for actually deciphering her eccentric twin's blueprints.

"I just deciphered Sensei's blueprints is all. It's not that hard, see?" Issei said, walking over to her with the blueprints.

"Ah ah ah! No, I don't want to see Azazel's plans. Maybe later. Now, stay here with the girl. I'll go and call Azazel or maybe one of his kids or Penemue if he's not here," Azrael said.

"Look after her for now okay?" Azrael said as she walked out of the lab.

Issei sat awkwardly as Lily sat on the table, looking around her and swinging her legs slowly. He glanced at the small girl as she was awed by the things around her. The look of wonder contained inside her eyes made Issei smile.

"Hey," Issei said, catching her attention.

Lily glanced at him and tilted her head.

"The person we're about to see. He might be a little… okay, he's weird but he's not a bad person. He's just… here to make sure that we're okay," Issei said, scooting over to her. "Especially you." He reached over and gave her a light poke on the forehead.

Lily smiled a little and rubbed the spot on her forehead.

"His name was… Azela?" Lily asked.

"Hmmm, close enough. I think I'll call him that for now on," Issei said, grinning. Lily giggled a little as Issei said that.

"Okay, now don't freak out."

Issei and Lily went silent as they heard Azrael's voice from behind the doorway. Issei looked at Lily and winked before slinking down and hiding behind the table.

"Don't freak out about what?" Lily watched as Azrael walked in followed by a man with black hair and blonde bangs. His gaze traveled over to the little girl sitting at the table. Her gaze became nervous as she stiffened up, fearing that Azazel would attack her.

"A Nephilim?" Azazel asked as he looked at her.

"She's a what now?" Azrael asked.

"She's a Nephilim albeit… a weird one," Azazel said, looking her over. He slowly approached her and she began to back away as he got close.

"Azazel, stop it you're scaring her," Azrael said, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a stern look. Azazel backed away and placed his hands in the air in surrender.

"That's not why I called you here. Come out brat! I can still sense your soul inside the room no matter how much you try to hide your power!" Azrael called out.

"Brat?" Azazel looked at her with a questioning gaze.

He heard rustling and his eyes widened when he saw someone very familiar slowly rise and walk out from behind his table.

"Um, hey Sensei… long time no see," Issei said as he looked at Azazel.

Azazel just stood there frozen, his entire body shakily reaching out to Issei. His mouth was slightly open as he was babbling silently. Unshed tears were beginning to pool around his eyes.

"Sensei?" Issei tilted his head, watching Azazel's reaction at seeing him. His eyes widened in surprise as Azazel wrapped him in a tight hug. Wet spots began to form on his shoulder.

"Sensei? Are you alright?" Issei asked.

"You damn brat! We thought you died!" Azazel yelled.

"If I did, then how did my pieces get back in my room? I know that you guys saw it, judging by the way you reacted," Issei said.

"But you're okay. You're okay," Azazel said as he increased the force of his hug.

"Well, I won't be if you keep this up… AIR!" Issei squeaked as his face slowly started to turn blue.

Azrael walked over to Azazel and chopped him on top of his head, forcing the Fallen Archangel to release Issei.

"Geez, don't kill him," Azrael said.

"Well, don't hit me," Azazel fired back.

"Right, so I came here to get Issei checked out. See if anything is going on with his body after he removed his pieces. Also, this little girl. She has signs of physical and mental trauma and we have decided that she wasn't abused rather, something happened to her family and she had to flee," Azrael said.

"Is that so?" Azazel said, wiping his tears and looking between her and Issei. "We'll talk later Issei for now, lie down on that reclining chair over there. The one with the mounted surgical light. I'll need to run a few tests on you," Azazel said.

Issei nodded and walked over to the chair, sitting down.

"You and the girl might want to wait in the other room. This might take a while," Azazel said.

Azrael nodded and beckoned Lily over to her. Lily hopped off the table and waved at Issei.

"She seems attached to you. You're recruiting kinda young don't ya think?" Azazel said.

"That's disgusting," Issei retorted.

"Well, now, stay still for me," Azazel said.

* * *

**Kuoh Town, 12:05 PM**

* * *

Irina remained silent as Rossweisse went over what happened over in the north. Her mind was still focused on why Issei hadn't returned and why he wasn't returning her calls.

_What if something happened to him like a member of Qliphoth that's still here jumped him? Or Az-nee's place was attacked and now…_

"Irina!"

Irina blinked and saw Rossweisse and Mitsuki looking at her strangely. To her side, Asia shot her a worried stare.

"Are you alright?" Asia asked.

"Yeah, just worried about Issei. He's out with Az-nee and he still hasn't come back yet," Irina said.

"Well, it is the weekend. Aniki tends to sleep in on the weekends," Mitsuki said, resting her head on her hand.

"Are you sure that we shouldn't have invited Rias? She seemed like she and the other girls could use some cheering up," Rossweisse said.

"Rossweisse, you weren't here for what happened to Aniki. He… he looked like he was going to die," Mitsuki said.

"And remember what Lucifer-sama said down there in the training area. It was just suggestion. Implantation of annoying thoughts. They could have just shrugged it off," Irina said.

"Right. Sorry, I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the situation," Rossweisse said. "Rias was just so in love with Issei. It's hard to imagine that she could be brought down by some magic that implanted thoughts into her head that wasn't even hers, to begin with."

"Let's change the subject," Irina said. "Asia. Is Eren okay? He had a pretty nasty bruise on the side of his face."

"Oh. That," Asia said, tightening her grip on her drink. Anger manifested in her usually kind emerald eyes, transforming them into toxic pits of green.

"Umm," Irina began to slowly back away as Asia slowly started emitting what was the closest thing Irina could describe as killing intent.

_She definitely picked this up from Issei and Mitsuki_, Irina thought.

"Tatsuya. Rias and Akeno's boyfriend, or whatever he was, did that. That guy. He's gotten this into his head that since his Sacred Gear was rated as a High Tier Elemental Sacred Gear that he was the top dog of the boys. Don't get me wrong. He's nice and all but… I think it's all going to his head. Eren. He hasn't unlocked his gear yet so right now, they're all pushing him. Picking on him more like," Asia said.

"That's… I don't know what to say," Mitsuki said as she sipped her drink.

"Let's help him," Irina said.

"Huh?" Asia looked at her.

"I think Irina's right. If we helped him and you provide him with some… _ahem_ encouragement," Rossweisse said.

Mitsuki's eyes widened at Rossweisse's use of the word encouragement.

"Oh no no no no!" Mitsuki said. "She is not going to do _that!_"

"Do what?" Asia said.

"Basically, you do what we did for Issei when he needed a power-up or encouragement," Rossweisse said.

"OH HELL NO! I AM NOT LETTING THAT GUY TOUCH MY SISTER'S BOOBS FOR ENCOURAGEMENT!"

The entire cafe they were in went silent as the customers and workers all looked at their table. Mitsuki's face turned red as she slammed her head down on the table and buried her face in her arms.

"Well, not the idea I had in mind," Rossweisse said. "More like. A kiss on the cheek or something. Asia isn't Issei."

"I wouldn't mind…," Asia said, blushing brightly.

Irina looked at her, mouth agape at what she just heard.

"Okay… moving on! Team formations for the Azaz… ugh, Azazel Cup! I know that Aniki's trying to work on getting Mitsuki on our team so we need a team name!"

"Can't we just decide this when Aniki gets back?" Mitsuki asked, looking up.

"I mean, it'll just be the three of us since Rossweisse, Kiba, Gasper, and Asia have to stay on Rias's team to you know… maintain our cover," Irina said.

"Speaking of which, sign-ups are supposed to be in a couple of days so… how will you get to the Underworld without being noticed?" Mitsuki asked.

"Hmmm, I haven't thought of that yet," Irina said.

"I know! How about…!"

* * *

"Okay, that's it for now," Azazel said as he finished scanning Issei's body. He held a small vial of Issei's blood in his hand as the boy got off the chair and put his jacket back on.

"So, am I okay?"

Azazel went silent and then tightened his grip slightly on the vial before smiling.

"You're okay. At least from what the scans show," Azazel said.

Issei nodded and began to walk when he felt Azazel's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, can we talk about the calls?" Azazel said.

"Sensei, you don't need to say anything. I know you were busy," Issei said without skipping a beat.

"Issei. I know that you're hurt that we ignored you and you're right to be. Just, please. Let me make this up to you in any way I can," Azazel said.

Issei sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly. "You're right. I am kinda miffed that you all just ignored my calls but I also know how swamped you were. But… you couldn't spare a small moment of your time to come and check on me? That really hurt me, sensei. Vali told me that he knew. And he told all of you," Issei said.

"...," Azazel remained silent.

"But," Issei said, causing Azazel to look at him with hope.

"If you want me to forgive you, which won't be for a bit, please don't tell the Maou," Issei said.

"Really? That's it?" Azazel said.

"I might call in a favor or two like helping me sneak into Lucifaad to sign up," Issei said.

"That can be arranged. I can certainly divert attention from you but you have to sign up with an alias," Azazel said as he wiped his tools.

"Thanks, Sensei," Issei said.

"Now just let's go check up on that little girl shall we?" Azazel said.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

* * *

"There. Number… what number is this?" the figure said as he threw the boy on the ground.

"Geez, mess the merchandise why don't you?" the woman said, flicking her red hair out of the way.

"Gremory is right Sitri."

The two turned to see Beelzebub walking over to them with a wide smile on his face.

Sitri huffed as he crossed his arms. His toxic yellow eyes staring at the demon before him.

"Place him with the rest," Beelzebub said, motioning to two Devils that were standing in the room with them.

"So is she?" Sitri asked.

"No, she's not. At least not yet," Beelzebub said, walking past them. The two looked at each other and followed him. Before them were two massive double doors. The devils standing guard bowed before pushing the door open. A man with light violet hair awaited them inside. He wore a white overcoat. Underneath it was a grey suit and dark grey pants. He wore dark brown oxford shoes and had black gloves. In his hand was a clipboard. Upon sensing their arrival, his yellow eyes drifted over to them.

"Beelzebub," he greeted jovially.

"Leviathan," Beelzebub greeted.

"She's doing fine by the way," Leviathan said, looking over at the massive spherical container that was filled with transparent fiery liquid.

"The Phoenix Tears that Valac managed to steal for us and mixed with the liquid from the River Phlegethon is healing her nicely," Leviathan said.

"Any time now," Beelzebub said.

Inside the sphere, a woman with white hair floated, a breathing apparatus on her mouth, feeding her air. As she floated for a few seconds and then, her toxic yellow eyes finally opened.

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**AnimeFan0216: I mean like Irina said. They could have ignored it since it was just suggestion in the form of implanting thoughts in your head. It's not a very effective form of mind control. They still went along with it.**

**Scrumblenut: When Blacklight comes into play and I flesh the organization out more, I will do an omake involving an Aleph Class Threat. Oh by the way, I hope you're fine over there in Australia. I heard that you guys got some rain.**

**Atomiccaa: Hah. I didn't realize it until I saw your review but no, it wasn't a reference to Trinity Seven.**

**The Soldier of No Sorrow: Hmmm, that would be a funny thing to see. I might make omakes of Eren trying to unlock his Sacred Gear.**

**Yes, so that's the end. Note, that last chapter, Sirzechs mentioned that it was a suggestion, not hypnosis. It merely implanted thoughts and feelings like that inside of them. They could have easily ignored it like how Irina said if their feelings for Issei were powerful but instead, they follow their thoughts and feelings. For now, Azazel and Azrael will remain the only people among the Biblical Leaders to know about Issei. I jumped the gun in the original with Sirzechs and Grayfia. They'll find out later. Anyway, review. Vote in the polls. Favorite. Follow. And drink some coffee with this. Have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!**


	8. Plans and Interrogations

**New chapter, guys. Hoorah! First off, I would like to point out that there is more going on with Rias and the others than what you all think. That's all I'll say as I might accidentally put a spoiler in here.**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Kuoh Town, October 20, 2019, 12:00 AM; Current Time: 5 Minutes Til Midnight**

* * *

"Soo, are you going to be following me the whole time?" Issei said as he walked down the street. In his arms was Lily, who was sleeping ever so soundly. She snored lightly as Issei cradled her gently. The exams that Azazel had performed on her had taken a lot out of the little girl and she had fallen asleep immediately in Issei's arms when they left the lab.

"No, I'm your guardian, not your stalker," Risa said as she walked alongside him. Her ears and tail had disappeared, allowing her to appear as a normal human as she walked down the streets of Issei's neighborhood. The lights of the street lamps overhead cast a dim glow on Risa, making her primal beauty stand out in the dimness.

"Where are you going to stay?" Issei asked.

"In your house obviously," Risa said cheekily. Her grin unnerved Issei as he shivered slightly.

"Umm, how am I supposed to explain to everyone why a Tanuki Angel is entering the house with me?" Issei asked.

"Hmmm, just hope that they don't see you coming in. Anonymity is your current goal, right? Is walking through the front door really a good way to achieve all that?" Risa asked.

"You want _me_ to sneak into _my_ own house?" Issei asked. "I'm carrying a six-year-old child."

"I could take Lily and walk through the front door. No one would notice and you can sneak into your room," Risa said.

"...," Issei looked at her before sighing. He gently handed Lily over to Risa, who gently took her in her arms. She nodded and Issei began taking off to a different portion of the house.

"Welp. Magic Hour," Risa said as she approached the gates. She walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. She was humming to herself when the doors opened. A red-haired girl was looking at her with suspicious eyes as she stood there, barring her entry.

"Hello," the girl said. She crossed her arms underneath her chest, emphasizing their size as she looked at Risa with an analytical gaze.

"Ah, you must be Rias Gremory. Hello there, I am Risa Tenkai. I am the Queen of Archangel Raphael. It is an honor to meet the esteemed king of the Red Dragon Emperor," Risa said.

Upon hearing those words, Rias visibly deflated as her memories of the past twenty-four hours came rushing back to the forefront of her mind. All those horrible things that she had done to Issei. That the others had done to Issei. Rias felt like crying. Her heart was crumbling as she could only imagine the pain Issei felt when he saw them. When they rejected him.

"May I come in?" Risa said. "I'm kinda carrying someone."

Rias blinked and looked down at the person in her arms. "A little girl? Oh, yes of course!" Rias said, stepping aside. Risa walked inside and noticed that the atmosphere inside the household was extremely tense. She spotted Irina sitting with a couple of people on one side and what Risa assumed was Rias's peerage sitting on the other. Irina was sending the females the most intense glares she had ever seen from the girl.

"Oh hello there Irina!" Risa said, using her free hand to wave.

"Risa-senpai!" Irina said, snapping out of her death stare session and jumping out of her seat. She immediately began to bow frantically to the angel before her. "Please forgive my insolence at not answering the door. Had I known that it was you, I would've cleaned the entire house in advance!"

"Irina… calm down," Risa said.

"Irina, who's this?" Asia asked, eyeing the newcomer curiously.

"Oh, this is Risa, or her angelic name which was granted to her, Magael. It means the Scourge of God," Irina said.

"Scourge of God?" Kiba asked. "Wait as in Heaven's Top Operative. Their most elite Assassin? That Scourge of God?"

"The very same! I would give you an autograph but as you can see," Risa said. "Say, do you have any vacant rooms by any chance?"

"Oh, for her? Yes, allow me to lead you there," Irina said, walking immediately up to her. Risa took a small step back, not at all used to Irina's hyperactivity.

Irina dragged Risa by her free arm towards and up the stairs.

"So," Mitsuki asked. "Has anyone ever noticed that Irina act like such… a fangirl?"

Everyone shook their heads, completely dumbfounded by what they had just witnessed.

* * *

Issei slowly opened the window to his room and fell inside. He rubbed his head in pain as he sat up. He stiffened when he heard the doorknob turn and immediately dove behind the bed.

"Sorry about this. The other rooms are being used right now."

Issei sighed in relief when he heard Irina's voice.

"No, no, I just need a bed for her to nap on," Risa's voice echoed across the room.

"Oh, it's just you," Issei said, peeking out from the other side. The two women jumped at the sound of his voice. Risa tightened her hold on Lily as her ears and tail appeared. Irina looked on in shock as Issei slowly stood.

"Hey," Issei said, waving at the two.

Irina rubbed her eyes as she stared at Issei.

"Issei?" Irina said. "You're back? Why didn't you come through the door?"

"Um, I kind of don't want them to see me," Issei said. "Oh, Risa-san, just place Lily here on the bed. I'll grab a futon and sleep on the floor."

Risa nodded and placed Lily on the bed, tucking the girl in.

"I'll leave you two alone. Issei, you might want to tell her what Azazel-sama and Azrael-sama went over with you back at his lab," Risa said, walking out.

"Oh, feel free to bunk with Irina or one of my sisters!" Issei hollered out.

"What!?" Irina said, looking at him incredulously.

"What? Lord of the House here," Issei said.

"What? I! Nevermind…," Irina said, rubbing her temples and sitting down on the bed. "So, what did Risa mean by we need to talk?"

"Well…," Issei said as he began to recount his visit to Azazel to her.

* * *

**Ars Nova, 12:35 AM**

* * *

Azazel and Azrael appeared inside the Ars Nova. Walking over to the map of the building, Azazel located the meeting room and immediately began to walk down the hall with Azrael in tow. The Ars Nova was completely empty. It was to be expected. It was midnight after all. Everyone had gone home and the entire city was asleep. Well, except for them and the people they were meeting with.

Arriving before a door, the twin angels walked inside and spotted the Maou and the Archangels sitting at a large table, waiting for them. Grayfia stood at Sirzechs' side ever so dutifully as she nodded at them as they walked to their seats.

"Okay, I know it's late but I needed to tell you guys that I told Rias what happened," Sirzechs said after Azrael and Azazel took their seats.

"How did that go?" Azazel asked.

"Not so well. She reacted as expected but there's something else," Sirzechs said.

"What?" Michael asked.

"She had a spell on her. A familiar one. Naamah Family Magic," Sirzechs said.

"That's impossible," Ajuka said as his eyes widened. "The Naamah Family went extinct during the Devil Civil War!"

"I know but I'm sure that it was Luxuria that I sensed on Rias," Sirzechs said.

"We need to look into this," Serafall said. "The Naamah, in addition to their family magic, were masters of infiltration and assassination. If there's a Naamah in Kuoh that managed to sneak past our wards as well as live under the nose of Azrael-dono, then we need to alert them."

"Look, we'll look into this tomorrow. Grayfia and I are returning to question Rias's peerage and Sona's peerage," Sirzechs said.

"May I join you? I live there anyway. I might as well figure out what's going on," Azrael said.

Sirzechs nodded.

"Hey, Sirzechs. How sure are you that it was Naamah?" Azazel asked.

"Hmm, the way Rias reacted. It was as if she was fighting off something inside her head. The sight of the pieces triggered it," Sirzechs said.

"Interesting. Were her eyes flashing pink?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes, why?" Sirzechs said.

"That is trademark Naamah but… there's something more going on here," Gabriel said.

"What?" Raphael asked, looking at his sister.

"Naamah Family Magic, Luxuria, involves two aspects. Mental Suggestion, which is the implantation of thoughts into the victim's mind, making it seem as if it were their own. It's more effective on beings that are weaker than they are or beings who are unaware. The drawback is that the person can always just shrug off the thought as a stray," Gabriel said.

"Of course. We know that," Serafall said. "It's the whole concept of their magic."

"I keep forgetting that you guys are the youngest in the room," Gabriel said. "Because that's not all they're capable of. The second aspect is Compulsion. A sort of imperfect mind control. They are capable of nudging existing thoughts to the forefront of one's brain or amplify the thoughts that they implanted with their Suggestion. A master of Compulsion can make it so that they can make you do something against your will and depending on how they go about it, they might not even be aware of what they are doing. It's like the Suggestion Aspect. A stronger being or someone aware of what is happening can easily shrug it off or resist it but if the person using Compulsion is much stronger then…," Gabriel trailed off.

"You get mind control," Grayfia said, horror etching itself across her face.

"Exactly. Whoever did this to them is skilled but not skilled enough," Gabriel said.

"How so?" Sirzechs asked.

"If they were powerful, Issei wouldn't have any support from anyone except for Azrael. Even his sisters would have abandoned him. That and the fact that a strong emotion was able to break the Compulsive hold they had on Rias. That means that whoever is doing this is around your sister's level of power," she said.

Sirzechs and Grayfia looked down, deep in thought as they contemplated Gabriel's words.

"Michael, did you bring the orb?" Gabriel asked all of a sudden.

"Yeah, I figured that this meeting would be a good way to inform them and it might have something to do with our little Naamah interloper," Michael said as he walked over to the hanging projector. He levitated the orb and attached it to the projector.

"Ajuka, can you turn this on?" Michael asked.

"Uh, yeah sure but what exactly is it that you need to show us?" Ajuka said as he turned on the projector.

The image of a red-haired woman with yellow eyes standing next to a man with black hair and yellow eyes appeared in front of them.

"That's impossible," Azazel said, his eyes widening at the image.

"Quite," Raphael said, crossing his arms.

"We're in the dark on them as well," Uriel said, looking at Azazel with a bored look.

"Okay, I'm confused. Who is that?" Sirzechs asked.

"Don't recognize the red hair?" Azrael said.

"No… should I?" Sirzechs said.

"That is Gremory," Michael said. "And the male next to her is Sitri."

"Wait? The Originals? But that's…. They died during the Great War! I have memories of my grandparents crying over my great grandfather's death!" Serafall said.

"I know. I was there personally to see Gremory being slain by Sandalphon," Uriel said.

"So how are they back? How sure are you that it's them?" Falbium asked, narrowing his eyes at the sight of the image.

"Trust me," Azazel said. "It's them. The eyes give it all away. As you know, your ancestors, the Original 72 and the Progenitors of the Extra Houses are referred to by the older devils as Demons. Zekram Bael is a Demon as he is the first Bael. A trademark trait of Demons is their yellow eyes."

"That and everything Risa reported these past several days including the use of the Gremory Clan Power, the Power of Foresight, only solidifies our theory," Michael said.

"However, we don't know why they're back but we might think that they are connected to that attack on Hades that the Greco-Roman Pantheon reported a few days ago," Gabriel said.

"What are you insinuating?" Sirzechs asked.

"Well, if these two are back. Then it isn't out of the realm of possibility that the others are back too. That also means that someone is responsible for bringing them back and that whoever's bringing them back is the one that sent the Naamah to infiltrate Kuoh. Think about it. Issei is a symbol across the world. If they get him out of the way, we'll be too distracted trying to find who did this and it'll let them gain the upper hand," Raphael said. "The only thing weird about this is that… the Naamah only answer to one person. Lilith. And Lilith's been missing for hundreds of years."

"So Lilith's behind all this?" Serafall asked.

"No, I know Lilith," Azrael said. "She wouldn't order something like this… something else is afoot."

"What else do we know?" Sirzechs asked.

"We know that these two are connected to the abduction of people whose ages range from six to twenty years. And that we think that they are taking orders from someone else. We can deduce that whoever it is is also commands the Naamah within Kuoh or at least, that's what we think," Gabriel said.

"Why are they targeting those people?" Ajuka asked.

"I have a theory. Earlier today, Azrael brought me a child that she needed to get checked up. Apparently, that child was a victim who escaped and she's… she's a Nephilim," Azazel said.

"A Nephilim? Why would they take Nephilim? Should we be worried about Akeno?" Sirzechs asked.

"No, no. The thing is… she's not a normal Nephilim," Azazel said.

"What do you mean by not normal?" Michael said.

"I'm still working on it but the thing I'm trying to say is that she was made into one," Azazel said.

"Hmmm, we'll discuss this later. Right now, we have more pressing issues to deal with. The situation in Kuoh involving the Naamah who may or may not be linked to the abductions and the Original Devils is at the top of our priority," Sirzechs said.

"The girl. Is she in…?" Grayfia asked, trailing off.

"At the moment, she's with Risa in Kuoh. Tomorrow. I'm having Risa watch over her and relocate to one of my contacts in America," Azrael said.

"Who's your contact?"

"If I say, then it would compromise him. Just trust me for now," she said.

"We have no other choice but to trust you," Sirzechs said.

* * *

"Wait what?" Irina said as she stared at Issei with an open mouth.

"Yeah, I'm heading to the States," Issei said. "Az-nee feels as if it would be a good thing for me to go there and get some training from someone she knows and to protect her…"

The two turned to look at the sleeping girl on Issei's bed.

"So, wait, let me get this straight. The Archangel Azrael, who by the way was your and sometimes my babysitter, is telling you that you are transferring schools and moving to America to protect this girl and to escape your problems here? Tell me if I missed something," Irina said, crossing her arms.

"I know how it sounds and I don't want to leave but… I'm kind of responsible for this girl now," Issei said.

"What? Says who?" Irina asked incredulously.

"Um, me?"

"Issei, I'm not letting you go to America. I doubt that Mitsuki and Asia would let you go to America," Irina said.

"Look, I just want to… get away for a while. This place… it brings too many memories," Issei said.

"Issei, look… about them," Irina said.

"Huh? What about them?" Issei asked.

"Sirzechs-sama came here earlier and he found out that Rias and the other girls… had magic used on them that made them act the way they did," Irina said.

"So it's not their fault then," Issei said hopefully.

"Here's the thing though… Sirzechs-sama said that it was mental suggestion. The thoughts were placed in their heads and they could have easily played it off but…," Irina said, trailing off.

"They went along with it," Issei finished, his voice hollow.

"Look I understand why you're going away for a bit but do you really have to?" Irina asked.

"I… I do," Issei said.

"Well, then that settles it. I'm going with you," Irina said.

"Eh? What? What about school!?" Issei asked.

"Hmm, I don't need help with that. Besides, what do you know about being in a foreign high school?" Irina asked.

"Ummm…"

"Exactly. And I don't think Risa-senpai will be enough to keep you out of trouble so I will come with you," Irina said.

"Ehhh… I'm not-!"

"No buts!" Irina said.

"But!" Issei protested.

"What did I just say? No ifs, buts, or coconuts!" Irina said.

"I have to ask Az-nee then about this," Issei said.

"When exactly are we going?" Irina asked.

"Two days," Issei said.

"At least it gives me time to pack," Irina said.

* * *

**Kuoh Academy, October 20, 2019, 1:00 PM**

* * *

"You're going where?" Mitsuki said with a shocked look on her face.

"I'm, uh, heading to America. Az-nee thought it was a good idea what with the girls and all," Issei said.

"And our old babysitter is an Archangel?" Mitsuki asked.

"Yes. I'm surprised at how well you're taking this," Issei said.

"Eh," Mitsuki said. She looked at the sky. It was a nice day. Everyone from the ORC had been missing that day as well as Azrael. Due to not having anyone else to talk to, Irina dragged the twins to the roof for lunch and Issei and Mitsuki had taken to lying on their backs and staring at the sky while Irina went to the bathroom.

"Irina's going with you?" Mitsuki asked.

"Yeah, Irina's going with me," Issei said.

"Then I'll go too," Mitsuki said.

"Not you too," Issei groaned.

"What? Wanna be rid of me?" Mitsuki teased.

"No, it's just that… Risa-san will have a lot of people to look after and I don't think Az-nee's contact will appreciate his house being invaded by… a lot of people," Issei said.

"Come on, Aniki. I've always wanted to see what it's like to go to school in another country," Mitsuki said.

"I'll ask her. Hey, do you know why Kiba and Asia aren't here?" Issei asked as he shoved some onigiri into his mouth.

"Beats me," Mitsuki said, looking at the clouds.

"That cloud looks like a dragon," Issei said.

"Hmm."

"You're no fun."

* * *

**Occult Research Club**

* * *

Asia tapped her foot as she sat in a chair outside of Rias's office. Next to her, Rossweisse gripped the hem of her skirt as her nervousness began to settle in. Sirzechs and Grayfia had summoned them all to the Old School Building to ask them some questions about Issei. She was surprised when she saw her teacher, Ashley Amaranth, who she discovered was not human at all. She was an Archangel. An Archangel who had been living here in Kuoh for the past several years.

_Where was she when we were fighting Kokabiel?_ Asia thought as she sighed. There were many things that Asia Argento had acquired from the Hyoudou Twins ever since her rescue and resurrection and one of those things was their impatience.

The door opened and Kiba walked out, looking tired. He leaned against the wall and slid down, a look of relief manifesting on his weary face.

"What happened in there?" Asia asked.

"They asked about what we knew about Issei. Interrogated us more like it. They were especially fixated on asking us if we noticed anyone strange here in Kuoh," Kiba said.

"Strange how?" Rossweisse asked.

"Strange power signature. Strange behavior. Strange magic. The standard stuff," Kiba said.

"Does seeing a rabbit mating with another rabbit count as strange?" Asia asked.

"No…"

"Asia Argento!"

Asia looked to the door and saw Grayfia standing there holding it open. She looked at Rossweisse and Kiba and bade them farewell before standing up and walking into the office.

"Ah, Asia-chan. Please sit," Sirzechs said, gesturing to a chair as she entered the room.

Asia nodded nervously before sitting down and looking at the Maou. Next to him, looking at her with an intense gaze was Ashley Amaranth, or Azrael, the Archangel of Death. Her pitch-black eyes caused chills to run down Asia's spine and she began to involuntarily shake in fear.

"Asia, we need to know if you noticed anything off in Kuoh for the past couple of days. Also, we want you to recount the events of the past couple of days for us," Sirzechs said.

"Oh, well, um to start with my recount of the past couple of days, would you like me to start at when I think this whole thing happened?" Asia asked.

"Yes, please," Azrael said.

"Well, um, on Thursday, I think it was, Nii-san woke up to some nightmares again. Um, we walked to school. Nothing was off… except for maybe the behavior of Koneko-san, Ravel-san, and Xenovia-san but other than that, everything was fine," Asia said.

"Um, we had class. Nii-san went to Amaranth-sensei's office and then we went to the ORC where Rias-Oneesama and Akeno-Oneesama talked to us for a bit. Nii-san followed them to the school and then the next thing I knew, Nee-san called me and said that Nii-san got hurt. It was… horrible. He looked pale. He vomited blood and I couldn't find anything wrong with his physical body but… there was something wrong with his Pieces and this weird abnormality in his blood."

"Weird how?" Sirzechs asked.

"It felt like Grace. Angelic Grace but… dark," Asia said.

Azrael narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

"What else?"

"Well, for most of the day, I was on a date with my boyfriend and nothing much happened. Nii-san's condition got worse to the point where the Pieces' corruption started to manifest itself across his body in the form of black spider web-like veins. After that… Nii-san… he asked for help in removing his pieces," Asia said.

"So you knew and didn't think to contact any of us?" Grayfia asked, her aura flaring.

"Grayfia calm down. This was a spur of the moment decision," Azrael said. Grayfia relaxed and motioned for Asia to continue.

"What about Rias and the girls? You didn't notice anything about them that was weird? Like a strange energy signature mixed with their aura or something?" Azrael asked.

Asia placed a finger on her chin as she began to think about all her interactions with them.

"Umm, I remember seeing this strange light in Rias-Oneesama's eyes when she introduced us to her boyfriend," Asia said.

"Boyfriend?" Sirzechs asked.

"You met them the night you came to the house," Asia said.

"Wait, those boys were…," Sirzechs said. He felt sick.

"Umm, yes? I thought you knew. Rias-Oneesama said that she messaged you about introducing them after Nii-san's High-Class promotion," Asia said.

"Anything else Asia?" Azrael asked.

"Hmmm, no."

"I see," Sirzechs said. "That'll be all."

Asia nodded and walked towards the door but as her hand touched the doorknob, she remembered something.

"Um, Sirzechs-sama… the other day I… I don't know if this sounds strange but before you removed the magic, I saw Koneko-san in her room suffering from a headache," Asia said. "The same thing happened to Ravel-chan. I don't know if that's what you need to hear but that's what I saw."

"Thank you, Asia-chan. Tell Rossweisse and Gasper that they can go. We have no questions for them as they weren't here for the event," Sirzechs said.

Asia nodded and walked out, closing the door behind her.

"Nothing. Asia and Kiba reported the same things. Weird flashes of light. The headaches. The only one we have left to ask is Mitsuki but I doubt that she knows more than those two did," Sirzechs said.

"What was that about Rias having a new boyfriend?" Grayfia asked.

Sirzechs looked down and clenched his fist.

"It was the spell. The spell did this," Sirzechs reasoned.

"And we're no closer to finding the perpetrator," Azrael said.

"Call for Sona's peerage. They're next on our list," Sirzechs said.

* * *

Asia walked down the halls towards the library. She had split from Rossweisse, Kiba, and Gasper after realizing she still had a report to research for. Asia hummed the tune of Mr. Blue Sky to herself as she walked down the hallway when she heard something.

"Hello?" Asia called out. The noise stopped and she narrowed her eyes. She cautiously walked towards the source, quieting her footsteps. As she approached the corner, she heard a slight movement and hid.

Asia peeked around the corner and saw Hiruko talking to someone on his phone.

"Ah, Hiruko-san! You scared me," Asia said.

Hiruko jumped when he heard her talk and turned around. His grey eyes were wide with surprise as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

"Oh, Asia-san, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm heading to the library," Asia said.

"Oh. Ummm," Hiruko looked between Asia and his phone. "Do you mind? I'm talking to my dad."

"Oh, right. Sorry. I'll be off then," Asia said.

"Right, see you later," he said.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, 5:57 PM**

* * *

Eren panted as he stood across from Tatsuya. The older boy had a cocky grin on his face as he summoned his Sacred Gear. It was a High-Level Elemental Sacred Gear known as Frozen Flames. It allowed him to control both fire and ice as well as generate a blue flame that inflicted ice damage on anything it came in contact with bar the user.

"Come on Eren! Be a man and unlock your gear!" Tatsuya said as he ran towards him. He threw a punch, digging his fist into the younger boy's stomach and sent him sprawling across the floor of the basement.

Eren gasped for air. Ever since the revelation that the girls' feelings for them had been false, Tatsuya had become more aggressive. As if he wanted to prove something. Yuu and Hiruko were all acting in similar ways. It was as if finding out that their feelings weren't real was a massive blow to their pride.

"Tatsuya, that's enough. Can't you see he's hurt?" Rias said, crossing her arms.

"Fine," Tatsuya said. "You're weak Yatogami. How can you join Rias's Peerage if you can't even unlock your gear?"

Eren looked down at the ground, wallowing in self-pity. Pity at his pathetic state. Pity at the fact that he can't defend Asia.

"Enough. I have been gracious enough to not erase all memory of our interactions so I expect you to heed my orders if you are to be part of this peerage do you understand?" Rias asked, flaring her aura.

Tatsuya nodded furiously.

"And besides, for all you know Eren could consume most of my pieces when they arrive so your spot isn't even guaranteed," Rias said. "Now. Go train your Gear over there. The only reason you're still here is because I may have some use for you in the games."

Tatsuya gulped and ran to another section of the training area.

"Heyo!"

Rias turned to see Mitsuki entering the training arena. She was dressed in a black shirt and track pants. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she had her about-face on.

"Um, hey, I thought you were training with Seekvaira," Rias said.

"I am. But my sister called me here to help Eren not you," Mitsuki said.

"Oh," Rias immediately backed down and became silent.

Mitsuki tore her gaze from Rias and looked directly at Eren. She glanced from Eren to Asia and back to Eren.

"Asia, heal him," Mitsuki said.

"Um, okay," Asia said as she began to heal Eren. In a few minutes, all of Eren's bruises and wounds had practically vanished, leaving no trace of the abuse he had suffered during training.

"Right. Okay, lover boy! Encouragement hasn't gotten anywhere so we're going to do it my way," Mitsuki said. She flared her aura, blasting him, Asia, and Rias back. Rias and Asia looked at her in shock as Eren stood before her, shaking in fear.

"Mitsuki! Are you crazy!?" Rias screamed. Everyone in the room turned as soon as they felt the pressure fall across the entire training area.

"Shut up," Mitsuki said as she slowly began to rise higher into the air. She placed her hand out in front of her and an azure ball of energy formed in front of her.

"Umm, what!?" Eren said as he saw Mitsuki aim at him.

"Okay. I'm sure that Rias and everyone else told you how I'm Ultimate Class soooo… this is going to be an Ultimate Class Blast! As a non-Ultimate Class, your only responses are to awaken your Sacred Gear or dodge. However, I will not allow you to dodge. Understood?" Mitsuki said.

"Wait what!?" Eren said as he stared at her in horror.

"Time's up!" Mitsuki fired the ball at Eren and he froze, standing in horror as time slowed down and the energy ball approached him.

"I have to- No, she won't let me dodge," Eren said.

_I- I'm going to die here. No one's going to save me. I'm too weak. Too weak to be with Asia. Tatsuya… he's right. She deserves better. She-_

A memory flew into his mind about the night-out he spent with Issei and Murayama.

* * *

_Issei glanced at Eren, who had gone suspiciously quiet. Murayama had to go to the bathroom, leaving the two alone at the table by themselves. Eren had been chuckling at something Issei had said about Asia when he suddenly went quiet._

"_What's wrong?" Issei asked._

"_I… I still haven't unlocked my Sacred Gear. I wonder if I even have one," Eren responded._

"_Hey, don't beat yourself up," Issei said, looking back at the road._

"_Did you have a hard unlocking your gear?" Eren said._

"_I did. And when I unlocked it, it turns out that I didn't even get its full version. I got the lite version of my Sacred Gear, the __**[Boosted Gear]**__. One of the Thirteen Longinus," Issei said._

"_Wow. I… can't even begin to compare to you or anyone else here," Eren said._

"_Hey, don't worry. You'll grow. I was where you were once. Completely outclassed by everyone in the room but my desire to protect my friends. To grow stronger. It's what pushed me to train. To get to where I am today with my Gear," Issei said._

_Eren looked at him with slight admiration on his face._

"_Then… do you think that I'll be strong enough to be worthy of Asia one day?" Eren said._

"_Eren… what's your goal?" Issei asked. "Why do you want to unlock your Sacred Gear? Is it for the tournament? For the wish?"_

"_N- No. At first, it was. I was going to use the wish to give Asia the best life I could provide her with but now… I'm in a world where Demons are real. Where Angels are real. Where Gods and Monsters are real. I need to be able to protect her and the people I love and I can't protect myself then how can I possibly protect them? It's why I want to unlock this stupid gear! To get stronger! For her!" Eren said with resolve in his eyes._

_Issei smiled._

"_Then hold on to that desire, Eren."_

* * *

Eren's eyes flashed and turned violet. A black bracelet appeared on his right wrist. In the middle of the bracelet was a gem. The gem shined with all the colors of the rainbow as a wispy leaf symbol danced around in the middle.

"AHHHHH!"

"_A sacred gear's power is based on desire. The stronger your feelings. The more power you'll be able to wield."_

The ground shook as massive black vines erupted from the ground and formed a massive dome around Eren. The blast impacted the vines, clashing against it in an intense struggle that shook the entire household. Eventually, the blast dispersed and the shaking ceased.

Mitsuki smiled as she hovered in midair before dropping and landing on the ground in front of Eren.

"Show's over tough guy. You can let down the shield down now," Mitsuki said.

Asia walked over to her adoptive older sister and stomped hard on her foot, digging her heel into her toes.

"OWWW! ASIA, LET GO! I'M SORRY! AT LEAST HE UNLOCKED IT!" Mitsuki said as she tried to free her foot from underneath Asia's.

The vines suddenly shriveled up and turned to dust and Eren was at the center, on his hands and knees.

"How *_pant_* was *_pant_* that?" Eren said, looking at Mitsuki with a weary face.

"Not bad. Now tell my sister to get off- and there she goes," Mitsuki sighed in relief as Asia's foot came off. The blonde nun ran over and frantically began to check Eren over.

"You did it!" Asia said as she laid his head on her lap. A beautiful smile graced her face as she looked down at him.

"I did. Did I look cool doing it?" Eren asked.

"You were the coolest," Asia said.

The world around them fell apart as they stared deep into each other's eyes. Emerald Green into Pine Green. Their faces inched closer together until the sound of Mitsuki's coughing brought them out of their universe.

"Ahem. Please go be disgustingly adorable somewhere else," Mitsuki said. "This is a training area. Not a dating venue."

"So what Sacred Gear do I have?" Eren asked.

Rias looked at Akeno, who immediately pulled a grimoire out of a magic circle.

"Summon it for us again," Rias said. Eren summoned the black bracelet on his right wrist once more, allowing Rias to analyze it in depth.

"Hmm, Akeno?"

"Umm, it looks like Eden's Wrath but…," Akeno trailed off.

"But?" Mitsuki said, forgetting her animosity towards them for a few seconds.

"Eden's Wrath is a green bracelet and it doesn't have a gem," Akeno replied.

"Ooh. Maybe a Sub-Species?" Rias said, analyzing it.

"Eh. We'll figure this out later. Right now… Asia, go take him to your room," Mitsuki said.

"Eh?" Asia's face turned beet red as did Eren's.

"Oh get your minds out of the gutter. Yatogami. I see anything perverted in there and I will rip your balls off. Slowly. And then force-feed them to you," Mitsuki said.

He nodded.

* * *

**Azrael's Apartment**

* * *

Lily sat next to Issei, her attention fixated on the TV as an episode of Pokemon played out in front of her. Her green eyes lit up with excitement whenever her favorite character got the upper hand in battle.

"Issei, you wanted to talk," Azrael said as she walked out of her office.

"Um, yeah. Lily, stay here okay?" Issei said, glancing at her.

Lily nodded and returned her attention back to the show.

"Still having a hard time breaking through to her?" Azrael said as she opened the door to her office.

"Yeah. Last night, she woke up screaming and I had to spend twenty minutes calming her down," Issei said. "Anyway, before I tell you what I need to tell you, what happened today? The entire ORC was missing and the student council."

"We were… asking around to see what happened-!"

"With the girls? Irina told me."

"Ah, I see. So you know that…"

"There was a magic that implanted thoughts into their minds? Yeah. I was… you know hopeful that it wasn't their fault but… it seems that they couldn't resist. Even for me," Issei said.

"Issei. The Magic is so much more than just implanting thoughts into your head. Anyway, enough of this for now, what did you want?" Azrael asked as she sat down in her chair.

"Irina and Mitsuki want to come with me."

Azrael spat out the coffee she was drinking all over her desk, drenching some of the tests she was grading.

"What?" Azrael said after wiping her mouth.

"Irina and Mitsuki want to come with me?"

"Why?" Azrael asked.

"Well, they want to look after me so they kind of forced themselves into the situation," Issei said.

Azrael placed a hand on her chin as she went deep into thought.

_Hmmm, he'll be a little miffed with all these guests in his home… but he does own the entire complex so I guess they'll be fine. So long as Issei doesn't invite anyone else_, Azrael thought.

_Sorry, Ouranos. Looks like you're renting out more rooms… and I just realized that I'm paying for them. Goddamnit._

"Fine, they can go," Azrael said.

"Really? You're the best Az-nee!" Issei said, hugging her.

"Yeah, yeah. But! If you plan on bringing anyone else! You can only invite two more people," Azrael said.

"That's fine. It's not like I'm planning on inviting others," Issei said.

"Good, now, because of this… unforeseen turn of events, I will have to delay your departure for a day or two to sort things out with my contact," Azrael said.

"Who is your contact?" Issei asked.

"I'll tell you when we go meet him but for now, I'd like to keep his name unsaid. He is a very reclusive person," Azrael said.

"And he owes you these favors?"

"Sort of."

"You blackmailed him didn't you?"

"What!? I did not! I'm an Angel for God's sake!"

"Look, I should go back to the house and pack. I'm going to leave Lily here for a bit then come and get her," Issei said.

"What am I? A babysitter?" Azrael asked as she watched him leave.

"You kind of are!" Issei called back.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, 8:00 PM**

* * *

Issei slinked past the gates of the house. He ducked behind some foliage when he heard footsteps in the distance. He peeked out and sighed. It was just Kiba. Issei walked out of the bushes and began to walk up the wall of the house.

"Issei?" Kiba said as he spotted Issei walking to the wall. The Knight walked over with great speed towards Issei.

"Issei," Kiba said.

"Oh, hey Kiba," Issei said.

"You know that you can walk through the door right?" Kiba said.

"I know but I kinda don't want to confront them right now. I'm just here to pack my stuff for a trip that Az-nee said she's taking me on in a few days," Issei said.

"Ah, I see. Well, have fun packing," Kiba said. "Where are you heading off to by the way?"

"To America. She's taking me there to see someone who'll help me train for the Games," Issei said.

"Hmm, well then good luck," Kiba said. They froze when they heard the front door open.

"Hide!" Kiba hissed. Issei dove behind the AC unit located by the wall and pressed his back up against it. He slowed his breathing so that whoever Kiba was distracting wouldn't hear. Against his better judgment, Issei peeked from the side and saw that Kiba was speaking with Xenovia, who was carrying a few boxes of food with her.

As soon as Kiba and Xenovia went inside the house, Issei sighed in relief.

"Welp. Ddraig buddy! Looks like we're climbing," Issei said.

**[Or you could just see if you can fly. You were able to do so while inside your mindscape with your new powers]** Ddraig said in a bored tone.

"Yeah but they'll be able to sense me so," Issei said as he began to try and scale the walls.

**[Just fly]** Ddraig said.

"But-!"

**[It'll be faster if you do]** Ddraig responded, cutting Issei off.

"Fine, but if they find me. This is on you," Issei said. "Now, how did I do this again?"

Issei concentrated on the energy inside of him and began to tug and pull on it. This was proving to be much more difficult than when he used it inside of his mind.

_It must have been easier back then… because I was in a life-or-death situation and my body just took over, _Issei thought as he pulled even harder on the energy.

"What do I do after this? I don't even know how I made wings the first time around," Issei said.

**[Just visualize it I guess]** Ddraig said.

"Okay," Issei closed his eyes and tried to think of flying while at the same time, pulling on the energy inside of him. He repeated the process he used when popping his Devil Wings out for the first time. The energy responded and a pair of jet black feathered demonic wings manifested on Issei's back. He opened his eyes and inspected them.

"Weird," Issei said as he looked at his wings. "They look like they're made of smoke."

**[Less talking. More flying]** Ddraig said.

"Someone's grumpy," Issei said as he took off and floated towards his window.

Thanking the Gods that it was still unlocked, Issei slowly opened the window and crept inside, making his footsteps as quiet as he possibly could. He retracted his wings and stretched a little. He sighed and began to walk to his closet when the door to his room opened.

Issei's head mechanically turned to face the newcomer when he heard the sound of something falling. His hazel eyes were met with the sight of familiar silver hair and turquoise eyes of a certain Valkyrie turned Devil.

"Hey… uh, Rossweisse. How's life?" Issei asked.

Rossweisse just stared at Issei in shock before her eyes rolled back into her skull and she fainted.

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**Rhongomyniad: Eventually, later into the story, I will force Asia into a situation in which she will have to learn how to fight. She won't be a full-on hand to hand fighter but I will have her know basic hand to hand to defend herself in close quarters and I will have her learn offensive spells so that she can do more than just heal and form barriers and summon. Maybe learn something cataclysmic like Mitsuki's Moon Shadow Beam.**

**Scrumblenut: Yes, they are the original ones. Someone is bringing them back. Most of them. I don't know if I want to bring back the extinct clans too.**

**leader. dbz: They never said if he/she was. Most people just assume that because the Leviathan Characters we've seen so far who are related to the original are female.**

**So, Eren unlocked his Gear. I'll reveal its name in a later chapter but know that he can control plants. Kinda like the First Hokage's Wood Release or Poison Ivy. Yes, Issei is going to go to America since in the original, that's how he came into contact with Blacklight. And before anyone asks, there is no Japanese Branch. The Asian Branch is located in Mainland Asia. Also, who caught the contact's name? I only mentioned it once. Anyway, that's all for now. Review. Follow. Favorite. And remember to have a great day or not, the choice is yours.**


	9. America

**Hahaha. The last chapter went according to keikaku. Not much to say other than you get one more week to vote. I need a tiebreaker since two of the choices are tied. Anyway, I'll let you... get on with it!**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

**Edit: This chapter has been edited due to a change in the plot. Please disregard the relation between Eren and his sister that was previously stated.**

**Edit 2: Timezone fuck up.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, October 20, 2019, 8:50 PM; Current Time: 5 Minutes Til Midnight**

* * *

Issei panicked as he watched Rossweisse pass out in front of him.

"Shit! Rossweisse, are you okay!?" Issei said.

He ran up to her, checking her over for any injuries she might have sustained in her fall. Sighing in relief after finding nothing, Issei picked her up in a bridal carry, walked over to his bed, and placed her down gently. He moved the blankets to cover her and went to go sit in his computer chair.

**[You know that she's a Rook right? A measly fall won't hurt her.]** Ddraig said.

"Yeah. I just sort of panicked there for a second," Issei said as he looked at her sleeping form. The rise and fall of the sheets caused Issei to relax a little.

**[Shouldn't you be packing?]** Ddraig said.

"Oh yeah. 'Exchange trip' to America," Issei said as he walked over to his closet and pulled out his rolling bag.

"_Hey, have you ever been to America?_" Issei asked telepathically.

**[Yeah. Long ago. When I was a different dragon.]** Ddraig said.

"_What? Were you married or something?"_ Issei jokingly asked.

**[I was. Once.]** Ddraig simply said. A tense air settled around the room as Issei went silent. His eyes became filled with worry and guilt as he looked at his left hand. A dull green light pulsed from the back of it.

"_Oh, man. I- I'm sorry. I-!"_

**[It's okay… you didn't know. Anyway, this was way before the Great War so I think around it was when I was still a juvenile Dragon at the time. It was before the current age of the Five Dragon Kings and I think Cronus in Greece was still in power and Baal-Hadad in the Levantine Area was named King after he defeated Yam and Lotan.]**

"_What's with the history lesson?"_ Issei asked.

**[Context and worldbuilding. Anyway, I was but a young whelp. Only 120 years old. That's like twelve in human years when I decided to leave the nest I was part of. It was headed by the current Dragon King at the time, Dalamadur. I ran to find my own way and flew across the sea. Fought a few monsters along the way. It was an experience. When I got to the Americas, I tried to find and challenge the strongest thing there. Of course, my pride as a Dragon drove me to do that.]** Ddraig said.

"Well, what happened next?" Issei asked, engrossed in Ddraig's tale.

**[I got my ass handed to me.]** Ddraig said, quietly.

"_Eh? By who? Don't tell me members of the Hindu Pantheon were there?"_ Issei asked.

**[What? No… it was something else. You know how people say that the oldest religions are the Vedic Pantheon, the Egyptian Pantheon, and the Sumerian Pantheon? Well, the pantheon across the sea has been there since Humanity crossed the frozen seas. Thousands upon thousands of years old. A god older than anything in the old world struck me down]** Ddraig said.

Issei went silent. A God. Older than any God that Issei had met.

"_Who was it? As far as I'm aware of the stuff we gleamed from the library, Abzu is the oldest recorded deity in existence thus far right?_" Issei asked.

**[The Great Spirit. That's the name he goes by. A God of Eternity and Creation.]** Ddraig said, his voice becoming serious.

Issei gulped as he felt the severity that Ddraig's tone conveyed.

"_Is he a threat?"_ Issei asked.

**[Threat? No, the man is more of a nature lover. He just humored me and accepted my challenge. I'm just saying that while we're there. We might run into him or some other less kind Native American Deities and beings. The Greco-Roman Pantheon aren't the only beings occupying America. In fact, they're just renting the place.]** Ddraig said.

Issei remained quiet as he placed his hoodie inside of his bag.

"Anything else I should be worried about over there?" Issei asked.

**[Hmm, there are a couple of monsters over there and one of my hosts lived there in the late sixties. Some of the old world monsters migrated over there during the Age of Exploration so you might run into some vampires, werewolves, and monsters native to that region.]** Ddraig said.

"Okay, nothing new there," Issei said as he folded his pants. "So it's basically here except everyone speaks English, is ruled over by a citrus fruit, and drives on the left side of the road. It doesn't seem that bad. Besides, I'm only planning to be there for a few months. I'll come back for graduation."

**[I'm saying to be careful. You never know what you might run into over there.]** Ddraig said.

"Ddraig, I'm always careful. Name one time I wasn't," Issei said nonchalantly as he placed another one of his clothes into his bag.

**[Really? If I can name one time, you will continue researching a way to bring me out of this gear, deal?]** Ddraig said.

"I didn't stop but okay," Issei said.

**[That time we had to go rescue Ophis. You died and Great Red and Ophis had to bring you back to life]** Ddraig said.

"Eh…," Issei said as he froze. The rustling of sheets alerted him and brought him out of his reverie as he turned around.

Rossweisse slowly sat up, feeling a throbbing pain on the back of her head. Her hand reached up and rubbed the sore part on the back of her scalp when she noticed that she wasn't in her room. Her turquoise eyes darted around, taking in the surroundings.

_Issei's room. Why am I in-!?_

The memories of before her blackout came rushing back to her as her eyes grew wide. Tears started to build up around her eyes.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake."

Her head snapped sideways as she saw Issei's familiar figure sitting on the floor. A traveling bag open in front of him as piles of clothes was littered around it. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Issei was there in front of her.

Noticing her demeanor, Issei tilted his head in confusion as he looked at her.

Rossweisse shakily got out of the bed as she took slow steps towards him. Her eyes became overshadowed by her bangs. Her hands slowly reached out for Issei.

"Rossweisse?" Issei looked at her worried.

Issei fell to the ground as Rossweisse lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him. He groaned as he saw a mess of silver hair spread out across his chest.

"Rossweisse?" Issei asked as he heard silent sobs. His shirt began to feel wet as Rossweisse's body began to shake. He looked at her and wrapped his arms around her. He began rubbing soothing circles on her back as he heard her sobs gradually begin to grow louder.

"Shhh, I'm here. I'm here. It's going to be okay," Issei cooed as he sat up, Rossweisse still wrapped around him.

"You… I thought you were…," Rossweisse said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"I'm okay see?" Issei said as he gently pushed her off his shirt. His heart clenched as he saw her sorrowful tear-streaked face.

Rossweisse looked at him before raising her hand and slapping his face. Issei's face snapped to the side, fully accepting the fact that Rossweisse had just hit him.

"YOU IDIOT! DO YOU WORRIED I WAS WHEN SIRZECHS SHOWED US THE PIECES!? HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE EXCEPT FOR IRINA, KIBA, AND YOUR SISTERS!? WHAT ABOUT ME!? DO I MEAN NOTHING TO YOU!? WAS I JUST SOME TROPE TO ADD TO YOUR HARE-!? Rossweisse's eyes widened when Issei wrapped her in another embrace. She struggled to push him off as she slammed her rook-enhanced fists on his chest.

"LET ME GO!" Rossweisse said. Her struggles began to die down as Issei tightened his embrace on her. She began to break down crying once more as her tears fell onto Issei's shoulders.

"I'm sorry that I worried you," Issei said as he rubbed her back.

Rossweisse sniffled as she tightened her hold on him.

"I thought you died. Even if Irina kept telling me that you were okay," Rossweisse said.

"Come on. You think a couple of evil pieces would be enough to kill me?" Issei asked.

Rossweisse chuckled a little as she pulled away. She wiped her tears off as she looked at Issei with a small smile on her face. It was then that she noticed the open travel bag that was next to them. Her mood dropped as she began to look at it.

"Issei… are you leaving?" Rossweisse asked.

"Um, I am. Only for a little bit. Az-nee told me that if I wanted to, I could go over to America for a while. Take time to cool down after everything that happened. I was thinking that I could go there as an exchange student for a few months and then come back here for the games and graduation. I've always wanted to experience what high school was like in other countries. I guess that my wish is getting granted," Issei said.

"I'll go with yo-!"

"Rossweisse… I need you to stay here and keep an eye out," Issei said.

"What? You don't want me to go with you?" she asked, tearing up.

"I need someone I can trust to help Kiba and Asia keep an eye on things here. Something tells me that the magic that forced the girls to have those thoughts has more to it than just… inserting them," Issei said.

Rossweisse remained silent as she looked at Issei. She had to admit. It was very strange how they just fell to their thoughts. After several seconds of debating with herself, Rossweisse sighed.

"Okay, but when you get back… I want you all to myself for a few days. You get to spend all that time with Irina and not me so it's only fair," Rossweisse said.

The two went silent for a few seconds before Rossweisse decided to speak again.

"When?"

Issei looked at her, confused by her question.

"When what?" Issei asked.

"When are you leaving?" Rossweisse asked.

"This weekend," Issei said.

"Just… just promise me that you'll be safe and that you won't piss off the beings there. The Greco-Roman Gods aren't the ones truly in charge there," Rossweisse said.

"I know. Ddraig told me about the Great Spirit," Issei said.

"Not just the Great Spirit or their Gods. There are monsters there that even Greco-Roman Demigods are too afraid to fight. Just… be careful. The monsters there are bestial and savage. Even the Old World Monsters have a hard time maintaining their footing," Rossweisse warned, her face becoming even more serious.

"Geez, you make it sound like I'm going to get attacked on the first day over there," Issei said.

"...," Rossweisse remained silent, slightly cowed by Issei's nonchalant attitude. "Whatever. If you get attacked by a wendigo or a thunderbird, just remember, I told you so."

"Come on now. Irina and Mitsuki will be there with me so what's the worst that good happen?" Issei said. Rossweisse looked at Issei blankly before sighing. She walked over to her dropped cup, picked it up, and left the room.

"Was it something I said?" Issei said.

**[Partner. Don't disregard our warnings. The Americas are an entirely different beast from what you're used to over here in the Old World.]** Ddraig said.

"I know. I'll be careful," Issei said, as he stuffed a pair of socks into the bag.

_I wonder where Asia is?_ Issei mused as he packed the last of his boxers.

* * *

**Yatogami Household, Same Time**

* * *

"Are you sure your sister will like me?" Asia asked, fidgeting with her skirt. Her green eyes stared at the wooden door before her nervously.

"My sister will love you and besides, you'll have an easier time with her than I did with your siblings," Eren joked.

"That's not funny and you know they're joking right?" Asia said.

"I'm sure Nat will love you," Eren said. He rang the doorbell and Asia gulped. The door opened slowly to reveal a woman wearing a black oversized hoodie and black joggers. Asia was floored.

_E- Eh!? She's beautiful! Is this… a Yamato Nadeshiko!? An actual one!_ Asia thought as she looked at the beautiful woman in front of her.

Eren's sister, Nat, was a good head taller than her. Her eyes were a mesmerizing mix of blues and purples that seemed familiar to Asia yet she couldn't place where she had seen the eye color from. Her skin was extremely pale, even for someone of Japanese or European descent. Her hair was as dark as the night sky, reaching down to her back. Her body was lithe, suggesting that she did athletics while remaining seductive enough for men to ogle.

Asia gulped before extending her hand.

"H- Hello! I'm Asia Hyoudou! Your brother's girlfriend," Asia said.

Nat smiled gently. She took Asia's hand and shook it. "Hello, Asia-san. I'm Natalia Yatogami. Eren's older sister. Oh, please come inside. I made dinner."

"O- Oh, yes. Please pardon my intrusion," Asia said as she walked inside. She slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the hardwood laminate floor. Her eyes took in the interior of the house. It was cozy. Pictures of Eren and Natalia hung on the wall, featuring different stages of their lives. The most recent one from what she could tell was Natalia standing next to Eren as she wore a graduation cap and gown and holding her degree. Eren stood proudly next to her smiling brightly in a suit. The more she looked, the more she found it suspicious that there were no pictures of their parents anywhere.

"Please excuse the mess. If I had known Eren was bringing home a guest, I would've cleaned," Natalia said as she walked past her.

"Oh. No, no, no! It's fine really. My room is messier than this," Asia said as her gaze lingered on the photos. After a second, she spotted a picture of a woman with kind black eyes and black hair. Asia blinked. She looked nearly identical to Natalia.

"That's my mom," Eren said, walking up behind her.

"Where is she?" Asia asked.

"She… passed away when I was one. My sister raised me my entire life. Our dad… he was absent," Eren said. "My sister knows who he is but... she hasn't told me yet."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Asia said in a guilty tone.

"It's alright. I feel bad that I never knew her but that attachment I had wasn't as strong as my sister's," Eren said.

"What happened to her?" Asia asked.

"House fire."

The two jumped and turned around to see Natalia looking at them with some sadness in her eyes. Her bluish-violet eyes lingered on the photo for a few seconds, her smile fading away. She breathed and put a smile on her face.

"Who's hungry?" Natalia asked.

Dinner was a very joyous affair, to say the least. Asia genuinely enjoyed cracking jokes with Eren's older sister. Natalia was a very warm and receptive person. The older woman treated her as if she was a member of the family much like Issei and Mitsuki did after she moved in. Asia smiled. Meeting them was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

"So, Asia. Do you wanna hear some embarrassing stories about Eren?" Natalia asked, grinning cheekily.

"Oh, what kind?" Asia asked, sending the older Yatogami a grin of her own.

"Well, there was this one time at the Elementary School. Eren and his classmates sang for the parents on Parents' Day and he messed up one of the lines and started crying," Natalia said.

"No," Asia said, giggling.

"Yes. And after that, you know what he did? He peed himself!" Natalia said as her body was wracked with laughter.

"Yeah, that was funny for you," Eren grumbled while pouting.

"Aww… is wittle Eren mad that his Nee-chan is embawassing him in fwont of his girlfriend?" Natalia said, pinching his cheek.

"Nee-chan…," Eren complained as he pulled her hand off his cheek.

"Ne, Asia, what about you? What are your older siblings like?" Natalia said as she sipped her tea.

"Um, my brother is a pervert but he dated the most popular girl in school Rias Gremory," Asia said.

Natalia nodded, closing her eyes as if she was deep in thought.

"Lucky him. I heard that you had a sister as well. I guess you can sympathize with Eren on that front," Natalia said.

"I can somewhat. Mitsuki is protective of me like Issei. When Eren met her, he nearly pissed himself in front of them. My brother Issei just does it to troll him but he does worry. My sister, she expresses genuine concern. I didn't have good experiences with men when it came to dating. The last guy tried to turn me into…," Asia shivered before continuing. "A sex slave."

Eren and Natalia's eyes widened. Eren's brows furrowed in anger as he slammed his fist on the table.

"Where is he?" Eren asked coldly.

"He died in a car crash," Asia said. "He was… chasing after us."

"Good," Natalia said. Asia looked at the drastic change in demeanor in the elder Yatogami. "Good riddance."

Asia's eyes widened.

"Now, let's lighten the mood shall we? Let me go get some cake," Natalia said, her face returning to her Onee-sama persona.

"Um, Eren? Do you know where the lady's room is?" Asia asked.

"Oh, yeah. It's upstairs and down the hall. Don't be late. Nee-chan's cake is sublime," he said. She smiled and walked out of the room. Silently making her way up the stairs, Asia went inside the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

"That… no, it was nothing," Asia said as she splashed water on her face. Turning off the sink, Asia walked out of the bathroom and noticed a dim light coming from the office.

* * *

Eren looked up from his plate upon seeing his girlfriend's return.

"Asia, you have to try this!" Eren said.

Asia looked at Eren and gave him a small smile before sitting down and looking at her cake.

"Are you alright, Asia?" Natalia asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Asia said, as she put some of the cake in her mouth. Eren was right. This cake was divine.

"Would you mind telling me your secret?" Asia asked.

"My secret? To the cake? It's just chocolate cheesecake. Nothing special," Natalia said, smiling.

"Still, I feel like there's something more to this cake," Asia said, eyeing the cake intensely.

"Hmm," Natalia said as she looked at Asia.

The rest of dinner went by without a hitch as Asia traded stories with Natalia. All of them involved Eren in some embarrassing way. Eren just sat there with a red face as his girlfriend and older sister laughed at his misery.

"He really did that?" Natalia asked.

"Yeah, Irina was so mad. She chased him around the house with a shinai for hours!" Asia cackled in an attempt to push down how she felt around her.

After Asia finished the last of her cake, Asia looked at the clock.

_10:45 PM_

"Looks I have to go," Asia said as she looked back at them. Natalia blinked and eyed the wall clock.

"Hmm, it is getting late. Eren, be a dear and walk Asia home. I don't want her getting _hurt_," Natalia said.

Eren nodded as he got up.

"Let's go, Asia," Eren said, smiling. Asia nodded as she took his hand.

"Bye Asia," Natalia said. "I hope we see you soon."

"Yeah… me too," Asia said, smiling. As soon as the two left the house, Asia looked at the ground.

"You okay?" Eren asked.

"Yeah, I was just a bit… intimidated that's all," Asia said.

"She wasn't bad was she?" Eren asked, grinning.

"She was interesting," Asia said. "She made me feel accepted."

"That's Nee-chan for you. She always makes people feel calm. It's like she has this aura and voice that just calms you down," Eren said.

Asia nodded.

"Hey Eren," Asia said as they approached her house. "Thanks for walking me home."

"No problem. Can't let you walk home by yourself anyway," Eren said. Asia gave him a warm smile before reaching for the gate. As her hand was about to make contact, Asia turned around and placed a chaste kiss on Eren's lips.

Eren's eyes widened as he felt Asia's soft lips press up on his own. Eren smiled and closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss.

"Awww."

The two flew apart at the sound of the shutter clicking and saw Mitsuki standing at the gate with her phone out.

"I'm so jealous. You and Aniki aren't single anymore and I'm the only one who still is," Mitsuki said as she looked at the photo.

"NEE-SAN!" Asia yelled in embarrassment.

"What?" Mitsuki said.

"Nevermind. See you tomorrow, Eren," Asia said before running inside.

Eren smiled and saw Mitsuki looking at him.

"Look, I know I was hard on you but… Asia, she-!"

"She told me about it. The thing with the guy trying to rape her."

"It was a Devil Heir by the name of Diodora Astaroth," Mitsuki said.

"Huh?"

"Asia told you an abridged version since I guess your family must have been there," Mitsuki said.

"Oh… yeah. What happened to him?" Eren asked.

"He was killed in battle," Mitsuki said.

A silence passed between the two as they stood at the gate.

"I'm glad she met you Eren. Truly. She's been happier ever since. Please take care of her. Asia hasn't had the best life and Aniki told me why you wanted to participate in the games. And once again, I'm sorry if I was too hard on you," Mitsuki said.

Eren nodded, smiling.

"I better get home before Nee-chan thinks something happened," Eren said.

"Mhm. Be careful," Mitsuki said as she watched Eren walk off. After he turned the corner, Mitsuki closed the gate and walked to the house.

* * *

**October 26, 2019, Azrael's Apartment, 9:45 AM**

* * *

Lily waited patiently on the chair as Azrael was in the kitchen, cooking her some breakfast. She bobbed her head up and down as she watched a cartoon on Azrael's TV. She was dressed in a red jacket that matched her hair with grey pants.

"Lily, breakfast," Azrael said as she walked over with a plate with bacon and eggs. Lily nodded silently as Azrael placed the plate before her.

The girl started eating silently while her attention remained glued to the TV.

Azrael sighed. It's been nearly two weeks since they met Lily and she still didn't talk much. Issei, by some miracle, managed to get some words out of her.

"Issei will be here in a little bit okay?" Azrael said. Lily nodded.

The doorbell rang and Azrael's eyes lit up in relief. It had been so awkward being in the same room as Lily was. The two didn't have much to talk about, to begin with. Azrael walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki standing outside.

"We're all ready, Az-nee," Issei said.

"Huh, I thought for sure you would bring more people. Just these two then?" Azrael said.

"Yeah, I asked Asia and the others to stay behind and keep an eye out on things around here. I… I know about what happened with the girls," Issei said.

"You do?" Azrael asked, failing to hide her surprise. "I'm guessing that Irina told you." The Archangel eyed the reincarnated Cherub intensely as Irina shrank in her spot.

"She did… but I think that there's something else going on here. I can't put my finger on it but why would they target me of all people?" Issei asked.

"Issei. You represent something across the entirety of the Supernatural World. That the weak can become powerful. Powerful enough to challenge those in their places of power. Taking you out would be destroying an icon," Azrael said.

"Yeah… but, it still doesn't make sense. If they wanted that, they would have killed me rather than have me go through all this," Issei said.

Azrael remained silent as she looked at Issei.

"Come inside. I have some things to discuss with you three before I send you over there. If you might know, the Greco-Roman Gods are over in the US, occupying it. They move with what they call the Heart of the West. It's just a fancy way of saying we're going to live in the most powerful Western country. So you might encounter Greco-Roman Demigods and Greco-Roman Monsters. Do you understand?" Azrael said.

The three nodded. Issei suddenly had a thought and raised his hand.

"We're not in a classroom, Issei. You don't need to raise your hand," Azrael said.

"Uh, right. What about the Native American Pantheons?" Issei asked.

"Pantheons? There aren't multiple Native American Pantheons. After European colonization and US westward expansion, the Native American Pantheons banded together as a single unit. Every single plague which attacked the Americans was generated by the Native American Gods."

"So they're evil?" Irina asked.

"They're as evil as a lion defending its territory. No, they aren't. They're just their people and their land. From the point of view of the Egyptian Pantheon, what I did to the firstborn sons would be considered heinous. I do too but I was protecting the people our pantheon swore to protect," Azrael said.

"Anyway, keep a low profile. I don't want anyone from either Pantheon finding you. Well, it might be better if the Native American Pantheon discovered you. At least you'd be treated hospitably. The Greco-Roman Pantheon would report you to the Maou and you'd be dragged back here ahead of schedule," Azrael said.

The three nodded.

"Who are we staying with?" Mitsuki asked, curious about who their ward was.

"Oh right. I need to talk about him. Your host will be the Protogenos of the Sky and Heaven, Ouranos," Azrael said, sipping her tea.

The three looked at each other strangely before Irina turned to Azrael.

"Um, Azrael-sama? Didn't Cronus kill Ouranos?" Irina asked.

"No, that's what he wanted the entire pantheon to believe. Ouranos escaped and hid himself away after Cronus and Gaia conspired to kill him. Granted back then, Ouranos was an asshole but he was an asshole you could get along with," Azrael said.

"Uhu," Mitsuki said as she looked at her former babysitter with an exasperated look. "Care to tell us more. Like where he lives maybe?"

"Ouranos lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Last, I remembered Ouranos owns a small apartment complex in town. He has two daughters. One of them lives in Greece for work and the other lives in Sioux Falls so you'll be seeing a lot of her," Azrael said.

"Um, what about Gaia? Do we have to worry about her?" Issei asked. "In fact, what about the other Titans and Protogenoi!? Won't they just invade the house or something?"

"No, the only Protogenoi that are aware that Ouranos is alive is Aion, Erebus, and Ananke. That and Ouranos is friends with several deities in the Americas so hiding isn't a real issue," Azrael said.

"Right so we have an MIA Sky God as our host in a land where there are monsters that even monsters from over here have a hard time dealing with and Gods whose Pantheon is older than every major religion. Did I leave anything out?" Irina asked.

"No, that basically sums up where you're going. But, if you maintain a low profile, you won't be seeing a hide or hair of any of those other than Ouranos. Well… actually, you might run into a few Native American Gods that visit Ouranos like the Moon Goddess, Hanwi so show them your utmost respect," Azrael said.

The three nodded.

"You three ready?" Azrael asked.

They nodded once more and grabbed their bags.

"Okay, wait there. Let me get Lily and I'll have Risa transport you all to America," Azrael said.

"I'll get Lily," Issei said.

Azrael's eyes traveled over to Issei and lingered on him for a few seconds.

"Sure. She responds to you better than any of us," Azrael said. Issei nodded and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to see Lily sitting on the couch, watching TV with a red backpack right next to her. In front of the red-headed child was an empty plate and an empty glass. She smiled whenever something funny came on, causing Issei to smile a little as well.

Lily turned when she felt someone sitting next to her. Her body relaxed when she saw that it was Issei sitting there, watching TV with her.

"It's time to go, Lily," Issei said.

Lily tilted her head in confusion as she looked at Issei.

"Go where?" Lily asked quietly.

"We're going to America for a little bit," Issei said, smiling. "Are you excited?"

Lily stayed quiet as she turned her attention back to the TV.

Issei looked at her for a bit before speaking once more.

"Come on Lils. We have to go now," Issei said. Lily looked at him again with nigh-emotionless eyes before nodding. She reached over and grabbed her backpack. Putting it on, she stood in front of him and waited for him to move. Issei stood and held her small hand as the two walked back into the kitchen.

"Is she ready?" Azrael asked as she noticed the two walking in.

"Yeah, she's as ready as she can be," Issei said.

"You might want to work with her in overcoming her trauma. I know that losing your parents is… a difficult thing to overcome. I have personal experience in that field," Azrael said sadly.

The three looked at her sadly. Neither of them could imagine the pain Azrael must have went through losing her father, nor how Lily must have felt right now.

"Stay here. I'll call Risa," Azrael said.

As soon as Azrael left the room, Mitsuki bent down and looked at Lily. She smiled at the young girl.

"It's going to be okay Lily. We're going to look after you and we won't go anywhere," Mitsuki said.

Lily looked at her with slightly wide eyes and nodded. She let go of Issei's hand and walked over to Mitsuki. Her action confused the older girl as Lily grabbed Mitsuki's hand and stood next to her.

"Heh, guess she likes me better huh, Aniki?" Mitsuki said.

"...," Issei looked at her with a blank face and was about to retort when he saw Lily looking at him with an expectant gaze. She held out her free left hand, waiting for him.

Issei smiled and held her left hand before giving his twin sister a smug grin. Mitsuki scoffed and noticed Irina was stifling her laughter behind her hands.

"What's so funny?" Mitsuki asked.

"Nothing. Nothing. It… it just reminds of me of how you and Issei used to act when you were kids," Irina said, smiling at them.

"I don't like to remember that. I wasn't the best sister to Issei," Mitsuki said.

"Hey, we were kids. Now, we're adults. That's all in the past little sis," Issei said.

"You're only three minutes older than me," Mitsuki said, pouting.

"Still older than you," Issei said.

The two stopped arguing when Azrael walked in with Risa, who was dressed in a white jacket with a red sweater underneath. Her eyes were filled with amusement as she looked at the twins.

"It kinda reminds me of you and Azazel-sama," Risa said.

"We were not like that. And besides, just because Azazel was older doesn't mean that he could tell me what to do," Azrael said. She turned her attention to the people standing in her kitchen.

"Ready?" Azrael asked.

They nodded.

"Oh right. Issei. My brother told me to give you this," Azrael said as she handed Issei a small tablet.

"What's this for?" Issei asked as he inspected it.

"Bring that with you to Lucifaad on the day of the sign-ups which is in December. In an attempt to flush you out, the Maou have moved the date of the games up to the end of February," Azrael said.

"That gives us very little time to actually train," Issei said.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," she said.

"Have fun in America you five. Say hi to that bald asshole for me," Azrael said.

Risa walked over to Issei and Mitsuki and placed her hands on their shoulders. She turned to Irina, who nodded and walked over to her, placing a hand on Risa's shoulder.

"Hang on. I know you can teleport but I know where we're going so I'm only doing this once okay?" Risa said.

They nodded and Issei and Mitsuki tightened their grips on Lily as they disappeared in a flurry of wingbeats.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

* * *

"I thank you all for answering my request for a conference call. I can only hope that you have all dealt with the fallout of the release of the Beast of the Sea on your ends," a man said. The man had shoulder-length blonde hair and a short blonde beard. His eyes were the color of honey. A mix of hazels and golds that swirled and shimmered in the light. He wore a white trench coat over a black turtleneck sweater. His pants were grey and he wore oxford shoes. On his right wrist was a silver watch with a black sun emblem on it.

"Get to the point, Cornelius."

Before him were nine figures all wrapped in shadows. Their forms were flickering as if they were holograms. The figures sat around a large oak table with Cornelius at the head of the table.

"Right," Cornelius said, eyeing the shadowy figure of a woman with cat ears and green eyes.

Cornelius sighed. "As of a few minutes ago at 6:43 PM, the Red Dragon Emperor was sensed entering the state of South Dakota. As such, I found it imperative to tell you all of this news."

"The Red Dragon?" another shadow asked. His golden eyes, similar to Cornelius only these eyes were like that of the sun. "What is he doing there?"

"We don't know as of yet but we are going to closely monitor him," Cornelius said.

"It would be nice," a sleepy feminine voice said. The shadowy figure sitting next to the feline figure looked at all of them. "To have another Dragon Emperor working with us rather than causing havoc like their predecessors."

"What do you think of all this Rama?" Cornelius asked.

"I think that Anastasia has a point," Rama said as he looked at the shadowy figure across from him.

"Aww, thanks, Rama. Don't let your wife catch you flirting with me now," Anastasia said.

"Quiet Smirnov," Rama said.

"Now, now," the golden-eyed figure said. "Calm down you two."

"Easy for you to say Atef. You don't have some blonde Russian flirting with you," Rama said.

"Come now luv. I'm just teasing," Anastasia said.

"Can we get back on track?" a small figure with a British accent said in an annoyed tone. Her blue eyes glowed ominously as she stared at Anastasia and Rama. Cornelius hid his laughter. Even if they were holographic shadows, he could still make out their bodies shaking in fear.

"Oi Salem. Don't go hard on them now," a man with an Australian accent said as he looked at the smaller woman.

"Don't tell me what to do Carlos," Salem said.

"SHUT UP!" an elderly voice rang out as he slammed his fist on the table. Everyone went wide-eyed as they went silent.

"Thank you. Now Cornelius," the elderly figure said.

"Thank you, Taki," Cornelius said. "As I was saying, he's arrived at Ouranos's apartment complex and we plan to observe him while he's here. We already have several protocols in place in the event he goes… Juggernaut on us."

"At least we know Dad's the one looking after him. For a second, I thought I would have to ask Sheba to go and… seal his Longinus," the feline shadow said.

"No need to go too far for this Atalanta," Sheba replied. "I'm sure the Red Dragon is a kind boy."

"We'll see. Keep us updated Cornelius," a robed shadow said.

"I will Matias," Cornelius said. "For now. I'll observe him."

The nine nodded and their shadowy forms dispersed into thin air, leaving Cornelius alone in the room.

Cornelius pressed a small button on his watch.

"Lisa," Cornelius said.

"_Yes, dad?_" a voice answered.

"You and Eric go keep an eye on the Red Dragon Emperor. And this part I'll leave up to you. If you feel that he has what it takes, invite him and his friends," Cornelius said.

"_Of course, Dad. Black out!"_

Cornelius sighed as he turned back to the wall. A massive screen hung from it. The screen was silver and rippled like water. The rippling stopped to show Issei and his friends standing and talking to a man with a shaved head.

"I look forward to our meeting in the future, Issei Hyoudou," Cornelius said as his hazel eyes twinkled in anticipation.

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**Anon: Hmm, that's a good question. I do plan to blow it all out in the open about who's been doing this to them but to answer your question. It did happen over a few months. I'll show more over the next couple of chapters.**

**Dragon Bone Z: Vapula? Maybe in the future.**

**Scrumblenut: I will show more of the training sessions. At this point, Rias just needs as much manpower as she needs for the Azazel Cup since Issei "disappeared".**

**GhostOnyx777: I am actually having Issei leave people behind to tell him what's going on. He's having, as you saw, suspicions about what's really going on so he left Kiba and Asia to look after the place while he's off on the "exchange program." It will be a very long time like in the original (I think Issei and Rias started to rebuild their friendship in Chapter Forty-Something) before they even begin to rebuild what is left of their friendship. Issei will know thanks to Asia and Kiba what happened but... the hurt is still there and that'll take a while to heal.**

**FateOnline: I'll try my best to make reveals more satisfying. As for the overprotective siblings thing, I just kinda wrote myself into that since I'm protective of my younger sister so some of my bias may have seeped into that.**

**Alright, so Issei and gang are in America now. How will they fare in high school? Will Issei join Blacklight? And who is Ouranos (you know who it is)? I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. We will be resuming our regular Thursday schedules since the semester started and I can no longer do biweekly updates. Anyway, review, follow, favorite and have a great day/night or not. The choice is yours!~**


	10. Settling In

**Alright, before we get started, I need you to read the last chapter again. I know, I know, it's annoying for me to ask. It's just a change in Eren and Natalia's relationship from half-siblings to full. You'll see why that's important in the next chapter or two. Also, guess who won the poll! No one! So by default, we'll have the original composition unless one of you can break the tie by Friday Noon Pacific Standard time. **

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Sioux Falls, South Dakota, October 26, 2019, 6:55 PM, Current Time: 5 Minutes Til Midnight**

* * *

"Soo, this is America huh?" Issei said as he walked down the sidewalk. In front of him was an apartment building that was four stories tall. It was a bit older than most of the buildings he had seen in this day and age but compared to the entire town, it looked relatively new. The apartment building was a single apartment building, bearing a lot of similarities to the apartment buildings that Issei had seen in movies. It has a grey coating, giving it a rather dull appearance. The entrance to the building was barred by an iron gate. The parking lot was almost devoid of all life which made the group wonder just how the building was able to stay in business. A sign that said Sky Apartments flickered in the night.

As they approached the building, they saw a man at the gate. His head was shaved and he had a light stubble on his chin. His eyes were a piercing blue that held the fury of a Category Five Hurricane. His skin was tanned, similar to those who've lived their entire lives in Mediterranean Climate. He wore a leather jacket with a white shirt underneath and grey pants.

Risa immediately bowed upon seeing him.

"Lord Ouranos. I have arrived with the guests that will be staying with you for a few months," Risa said.

"Hmmm," Ouranos said as he eyed them. "So, just these four and you?" His voice was gravelly yet held the tone of authority.

"Yes," Risa answered.

"Hm, come with me," Ouranos said as he opened the gate. Issei and Irina looked at each other before following the others inside. The inside of the apartment building was… old. The Victorian Style was offset by the modern renovations that were added to the building. An old chandelier hung from the ceiling while a large plasma screen TV was attached to the wall in the lobby. Leather couches and a couple of lazy boys made up the lounge area with a coffee table in between them. Ouranos led them to the elevator where once inside, he clicked the three.

"Umm, Lord Ouranos sir?" Issei asked.

"Yes?" the Old God said, not even glancing at him.

"Will we have to worry about anything?" he asked.

"I'll go over that once we get to my apartment," Ouranos said.

"Oh, right," Issei said.

**[Ouranos's power hasn't waned since the Gaia incident.]** Ddraig said.

"_How can you tell?_" Issei asked.

**[The Man is radiating an immense level of power. Higher than that of the Maou Lucifer and Maou Beelzebub put together. Hell, Indra has nothing on this.]** Ddraig said.

"_Well, let's hope he doesn't try to destroy us after we get inside,_" Issei said.

The elevator dinged and Ouranos led them down the hall. He stopped outside the door with the number 323 etched on the front. Fumbling for his keys, Ouranos pulled them out and unlocked the door.

"Please sit," Ouranos said, gesturing to the couches. They nodded gratefully and took their seats, leaving their luggage at the door. Ouranos disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few moments later with some drinks and snacks.

"So, what brings you here?" Ouranos asked as he sat down in a vacant chair.

"Um…," Issei trailed off as he began to speak.

Ouranos raised an eyebrow.

"What Aniki is trying to say is that… some things happened back in Japan and Aniki came here to… cool off for a lack of better words," Mitsuki answered for her brother.

"Yeah," Issei said.

"Mhm. Look, I know it's not my business so I'll move on. Let me introduce myself properly. I am Ouranos, Greco-Roman Protogenos of the Heavens, ex-husband of Gaea and current husband of the Kotoamatsukami of Creation, Amenominakanushi," Ouranos said.

"Woah. Um, that's hard to beat. I'm Issei Hyoudou. This generation's Red Dragon Emperor. Nice to meet you," Issei said cheerfully.

Mitsuki and Irina looked at Issei dryly, shaking their heads internally at the seeming lack of respect.

"I'm Irina Shidou. I am the Ace of Lord Michael, the Archangel of Creation," Irina said, bowing in her sitting position.

"I am Mitsuki Hyoudou. I am the twin sister of Issei Hyoudou. I am this generation's wielder of Telos Karma," Mitsuki said.

"What a group you've brought me, Risa," Ouranos said.

"Well, what can I say? Issei didn't give us much of a choice with them hehe," Risa said, rubbing the back of her head.

"What was your relationship with Issei?" Ouranos asked.

"Oh. I was assigned to be his Guardian Angel," Risa said. Ouranos nodded at her answer. He looked over to Lily, who began to hide her face in Issei's sleeve when Ouranos trained his sights on her.

"And who might you be, little lady?" Ouranos asked.

Lily didn't speak and tried to hide further behind Issei.

"Come on, Lily. It's rude not to answer," Issei said.

Lily peeked out and spoke in a small voice.

"My… name is Lily Hofferson. Nice to meet you, Mister," Lily said.

"Sorry about her. She's not good with strangers," Issei said.

"I can imagine, considering what happened to her family," Ouranos said.

"Huh?" the three looked at the Old God, confused at his statement.

"You haven't heard? Well, I'll tell you later. Right now, we need to go over where you're staying and some ground rules. First off, you three kids and the kid are getting Apartment 312 down the hall. It's a three-bedroom apartment with a bathroom in the Master Bedroom and another one in the hall. Both bathrooms are equipped with showers so you don't have to worry about who gets to go first. Risa, you're getting 314 next doors," Ouranos said, picking up a tablet that lay on the table.

They nodded.

"So the rules?" Irina asked.

"Right. Rule 1: Since you guys are supernatural beings, please refrain from using your powers within the building. I have others who stay here that are just regular humans so I don't want to have to keep erasing their memories every time. Rule 2: No loud noises. That means no loud music or anything equivalent to that. Also, if you want to train, there's a forest outside of town for you to go in.

"Rule 3: While I do allow pets on the premises if it's a familiar, please keep it out of sight of the human residents. The fourth rule. I will have some guests from the Native American Pantheons, mainly Lakota Gods, come here every now and then. While they are here, you will show them the utmost respect, got it?" Ouranos asked.

The four nodded furiously.

"Any questions so far?" Ouranos asked.

Issei raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Do we have to go to school?" Issei asked.

"That is entirely up to you. If you wish to attend the local high school, I shall enroll you and have my daughter show you around," Ouranos said.

Issei nodded and put his hand down.

"Um, what about Gaea and the other Greco-Roman Gods? I heard that their main base of operations is in America right now above the Empire State," Irina said.

"You don't need to worry about them. Gaea doesn't know that I'm here though you will encounter a Greek Monster now and then. The real monsters that you have to watch for are the Native ones. Thunderbirds come here often but don't really do much. Wendigos are a big problem in the fall and winter and occasionally, we get a roaming nest of fangs or a pack of wolves," Ouranos said.

"Excuse me… fangs? What are those?" Mitsuki asked.

"Ah. It's the lingo that monster hunters here use. Fangs are Vampires," he clarified. "Just so you know that the Gods here have twisted the Monsters of the Old World. The Old World Methods of killing vampires, which are ridiculous by the way, are ineffective here. Sunlight only gives them a minor sunburn. Garlic doesn't work on them. Running water isn't an issue and they can break into houses. However, they are susceptible to silver, decapitation or intense cerebral trauma, and the blood of the deceased," Ouranos said.

"Oh," Mitsuki said.

The sound of the door unlocking alerted the three as they turned around.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Ouranos said.

The door opened to reveal a girl about their age. She was short in stature, standing at around Irina's shoulders at full height. The girl had short, shoulder-length raven black hair. Her eyes were a mix of silver, blue, and red as she looked at the newly arrived Issei, Irina, Mitsuki, and Lily curiously. She wore a blue jacket with a yellow shirt underneath and a red skirt with black yoga pants underneath. Her jacket's left sleeve had a black sun logo embroidered onto it. She had a navy-blue Jansport backpack on her back with a chibi Torchic hanging off it.

"Ah, Tohka, say hi to the new tenants," Ouranos said.

"New tenants?" Tohka said as she placed her backpack on the floor. She took off her shoes, walked over to the living room, and sat on the carpet. Grabbing a cookie from the plate, Tohka eyed the newcomers.

"So they're staying here?" Tohka asked.

"Yes, down the hall," Ouranos said. He turned to them. "This is my daughter, Tohka Thýella. Oh, I forgot to mention. My human alias is Caelum Thýella. Please refrain from calling me Ouranos in public or Lord."

They nodded.

"Nice to meet you… um, I know Risa but who are…?" Tohka said, looking at the three in confusion.

"Oh, I'm Issei. Issei Hyoudou," Issei said.

"I'm Irina Shidou. Nice to meet you!" Irina chirped.

"Mitsuki Hyoudou," Mitsuki said, waving a little.

"It's nice to meet you three. Are you enrolling in my school by any chance?" Tohka asked.

"We have to think about it first," Issei said.

"Oh cool. If you do, just hit me up and I'll show you all the best spots," Tohka said. "By the way dad, where's mom?"

"She's off in Japan dealing with something," Ouranos said.

"Was it Grandma again?" Tohka asked.

"Most likely or maybe the disappearance of a certain Dragon Emperor," Ouranos said, discreetly glancing at Issei. "She'll be back tomorrow."

"Okay," Tohka said.

"If you don't mind," Ouranos said, holding his hand out. Tohka caught the keys as he dropped them and looked at them before giving her father a dry look. She sighed and stood.

"Okay, ladies and gents! If you would just follow me, I'll show you where you'll be staying!" Tohka said, smiling.

They nodded and got up.

"Thanks for having us, Lord Ouranos," Issei said.

"None of that Lord bullshit. I left that long ago when I realized that I was a horrible ruler after my children and wife tried to kill me," Ouranos said, waving it off.

Issei nodded and saw that Tohka and the others were gone. He bowed and ran out the door, closing it behind him.

Ouranos smiled a little. His moment of peace was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone.

"Hello?" he said, answering the call.

"..."

"Yeah, he's here," Ouranos said.

"..."

"Hmm, if he enrolls I'll tell you," Ouranos said.

"..."

"Yeah, yeah. By the way, Tohka and Mica might be dropping by later so prepare for that," Ouranos said.

"..."

"Demonic energy? In town? That's strange," Ouranos said.

"..."

"You can't make heads or tails of who it is? I'll look into it. It's going to be a bit hard since it's the beginning of fall and we have to deal with Wendigos now," Ouranos said.

"..."

"Haha, that sounds like him. Right, I gotta go," Ouranos said.

"..."

"Yeah, you too," Ouranos hung up and saw a few messages on the screen. All were from his wife. The latest one read:

_Azrael met up with me. Is he there now?_

Ouranos chuckled and typed a "Yes" and sent it.

His eyes widened when her next message arrived and a goofy, perverted smile spread across his face.

"This is where the fun begins," Ouranos said.

* * *

**Kuoh Town, 3:45 PM**

* * *

Natalia sat in her office, sipping coffee. She sighed.

_Why did I take up this teaching profession again? Oh, right. It pays me for my three degrees,_ Natalia mused as she began grading her papers. Natalia Yatogami, the older sister of Eren Yatogami, was the Physics Professor of Kuoh University. She had been offered the job by the Board shortly after she moved to Kuoh last year with her brother. Natalia placed her mug down and looked at the picture on her desk. Kuoh was different from what she was used to. She lived her entire life in the big city so moving to a smaller one was new to her.

"Oh, Eren… I wish things could have been different," Natalia said wistfully as she looked at the photo of her mother, a younger Natalia, and Eren, who was in her arms.

A knock on her door alerted her as she sat up.

"Um, Professor! Can I come in?" a voice said.

"Oh, yes! Sure!" Natalia said.

The door opened to reveal who Natalia knew as Akeno Himejima. She was holding a stack of papers in her arms and stumbled across the room to her desk.

"I got these papers for you. The ones you wanted," Akeno said.

"Thank you Himejima-san. That'll be all," Natalia said.

Akeno nodded and left the office. The entire time, Natalia had been eyeing her. After the girl had left, she shook her head. Her phone, which sat on the edge of her desk, began to ring. Looking at the caller ID, Natalia narrowed her eyes as she picked up the call.

* * *

Asia walked down the halls of Kuoh University's Physics Department. Why was she here? She was on a mission. Ever since she saw those files in Natalia's office, the girl had been on to her. Her mind flew back to what she saw that night.

* * *

_Asia walked over to the dimly lit office of one Natalia Yatogami. The door was slightly ajar, allowing what little light was on inside to seep through the cracks. Opening the door as silently as she could, Asia crept inside and saw nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a simple setup. A desk at the back. Two bookshelves on the left side of the room next to the window and a potted plant by the desk. The desk had a dual monitor desktop and a keyboard. On the desk was a small manila folder._

_She's just a normal person, Asia, Asia thought as she calmed herself. _

"_What you felt was just your nerves," she said as she walked around the office. Walking around the back, her green eyes caught sight of a familiar name on a paper that was sticking slightly out of the folder._

_Rias Gremory_

_Asia grew confused. "It's probably just the student roster," she said as she opened the folder. "I wonder what kind of grades Rias-oneesama has now."_

_Her eyes bugged out at what she saw. Files. Detailed data on the entirety of the Occult Research Club. Not just their human aliases but their backgrounds. And their relations. Asia grabbed Rias's file and read it._

"_Rias Gremory. Heiress of the Gremory Family, one of the 72 Pillars descended from Gremory. Sister of Sirzechs Lucifer," Asia read as the shock traveled through her body. She noticed that the name Sirzechs was slightly crushed and wrinkled as if on purpose. Asia looked through the other files, each one making her more and more tense and confused._

"_Why? How!? How does she know about us?" Asia said to herself as she flipped through the files. The last one was of her adoptive older brother, Issei Hyoudou._

"_Issei Hyoudou. Born to Gorou and Miki Hyoudou. Subject 001? Status: Currently Active? What does that mean?" Asia said as she read the file. "Other relations… Asia Argento Hyoudou and Mitsuki Hyoudou… sisters. Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, Xenovia Quarta, Koneko Toujou, Kuroka Toujou, Ravel Phenex, Rossweisse… lovers."_

_Asia's eyes drifted down to the footnotes._

"_It's been difficult but I think I've succeeded," Asia said. "Does she…?"_

_Asia heard Eren's sister calling to him. Asia put the files back inside the folder but not before taking her phone out and taking pictures of every file. _

"_I'll look more into this later," she said, placing the folder the way she found it and left the room._

* * *

"Hey, Asia!" Asia turned and saw Eren running up to her. He grinned as he put his arm around her. The sudden contact caused Asia to blush as she smiled.

"Eren," Asia said.

"Where ya headed to?" Eren asked.

"Oh, I was going to ask your sister for some help on this. I heard she was the physics professor so…," Asia said.

"Oh. I get it. I'll leave you two girls to talk. Meet up at the ORC?" Eren asked.

"Yes," Asia said. She placed a kiss on his cheek before walking off. After a few minutes of walking and asking around, Asia finally spotted the door to Natalia's office. As she reached to knock she heard a voice.

"I'll have it done by the end of the week okay? After that… will you leave us alone and do what I asked?" Natalia's voice said.

"..."

"Good," Natalia's voice said and the call seemingly ended. Asia knocked on the door after a few minutes of silence passed.

"Come in."

Asia tentatively opened the door and walked inside.

"Ah, Asia-chan," Natalia said, looking up from her monitor. "Sorry if I didn't hear you. I got a call from some friends of mine in Tokyo about getting the calculations needed for an engineering project. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Um, yes I was wondering if you could help me with my Physics homework but I can see that you're busy! I'm sorry to bother you!" Asia said as she began to leave.

"Wait. No need to be nervous, Asia-chan," Natalia said. Her tone made Asia uneasy. Every word sent a chill creeping down her spine. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to run but it was if her mind had seemingly left her. Her body wouldn't obey anything she tried.

"I'm sorry but… I have a club meeting to get to," Asia squeaked out, her mouth being the only part of her body that she had conscious control of.

"Now, now, don't be rude," Natalia said. Her body once again moved against her will and forced her to face Natalia. The older girl's bluish-violet eyes looked eerie in the light. The hue resembling the momentary tinge she had seen on Rias.

"Please. Eren is waiting for me," Asia said, tears pooling at the edge of her eyes.

"I know, but… I need to tell you something first," Natalia said, leaning in to whisper something into Asia's ear.

A mixture of looks manifested on Asia's face as her eyes contorted in defiance, rage, and fear.

"Okay?" Natalia said as a sickly sweet smile appeared on her face.

Asia just glared at her with all the fury she could muster past the amount of fear she was feeling. Feeling defeated, Asia nodded and felt her control return.

"Good. Now, don't tell Eren what I said okay?" Natalia said.

Asia nodded weakly. As she turned around, Natalia spoke one more set of words.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. It was the only way I could keep him safe," Natalia said.

Asia paused.

"Safe from what?" Asia asked.

"It's better that you don't know," Natalia said, her eyes darting to the window.

"I- I'll try to get him back here by the end of the week," Asia said.

Natalia nodded and Asia walked as fast as she could out of the door.

* * *

**Sioux Falls, SD, 1:30 AM**

* * *

"Whew, those were a lot of rules," Issei said, collapsing on the floor.

"Well, dad didn't go over the other ones so I had to read this manual to you," Tohka said, closing the book.

"We've literally been listening to the detailed explanation for… it's 1:30 in the morning!" Mitsuki said.

"Yup… so any questions?" Tohka asked.

"School. Your dad said that we don't have to go but if we want to go, where would we enroll?" Issei asked.

"Eve High School," Tohka said. "It's a fifteen-minute walk from the apartment building."

"What about Gods? You're a Goddess yourself. Any advice on how to get along with them besides the respect thing?" Issei asked.

"Well, most of them are alright. Some of them are still hung up on Westward Expansion which makes sense. A lot of them died to the Old World Gods who decided to put up shop here," Tohka said. "Mica is alright. He's the Coyote God of Mischief and he goes to school with me so there's a friend in this pantheon if you ever needed one. The local wolf pack here feasts on animal hearts rather than human ones and they run the local morgue so any newborn cubs get their supply of hearts from there. Oh right! The one thing Dad never told you. One of the Alphas lives here!"

"What's an Alpha?" Irina asked.

**[Basically, they're the first of their kind. Monster Gods, for all intents and purposes. Don't fret. They're not actual Gods. They're just extremely powerful monsters that are on par with DD-Rank Deity Class Beings.] **Ddraig said, calming them down.

"Right, you don't have to worry about her. She runs a dive bar in town so if you ever need a drink, I didn't say anything okay?" Tohka said, winking.

"Okay…," Issei said.

"Where do we get furniture?" Irina asked.

"There's an American Furniture further into town and an Ikea too so there's that. For food, there's a Savemart down the street though if that's not to your liking, there's also a Wal-Mart in town," Tohka said.

"Okay," Issei said. A thought popped into his head about what Ouranos had said earlier about Lily. "Hey, Tohka?"

"Hmm," the girl said, turning her gaze onto Issei.

"What did your old man mean by… what happened to Lily's family?" Issei asked.

Tohka went silent. She glanced over at the young redhead, who had fallen asleep. Seeing that the girl wouldn't be able to hear what she said, Tohka sighed and began to tell them the story.

"A couple of days ago, on the news, there was this family in London. It was terrible. Hard to look at for anyone sane but two were butchered in their own homes. The mother was mutilated and had bite marks and chunks taken out of her, indicating that whoever killed her was also eating her. The second person, who they identified as the son through DNA analysis, was… now a red stain across their entire house. The only one reported missing… was her," Tohka said, nodding to the sleeping Lily. "She's been declared missing and there's a search going on."

"That's… that's horrible!" Irina said, covering her mouth. Her face was slightly green as her eyes looked wide in horror.

"That's not all," Tohka said.

"Not all?" Issei asked.

"There have been several more similar cases around the globe, all ending in the same way. Everyone else dead and one of the family members ends up missing. Authorities think that they're somehow connected given to how similar they are," Tohka said.

"Should we report her to the authorities?" Irina asked.

"That's entirely up to you," she answered.

"I think we should do it but then…," Mitsuki said, trailing off.

"You'd be painting a target on her back," Risa said. "For now, let her lay low. At least, until the authorities can figure out what's going on."

They nodded and Tohka stood up, stretching.

"Well, I'm pooped. I'm going to go back to my apartment and come back with some airbeds. Or if I remember correctly, you can summon furniture… why did I tell you where the furniture store was then?" Tohka said, muttering the last part to herself. "Well, goodnight you guys!

"Good night!" Issei said.

"I'm going to head to my apartment now too. Issei, Irina. Don't make too much noise tonight okay?" Risa said, winking as she left.

Mitsuki sent them as a sly smile as the two were beet red and looking away from each other.

"L- let's just get the futons ready! We'll put the couches and TV and tables in the morning yeah?" Irina said.

"Yeah, I'll tuck Lily in. Goodnight love birds! You're getting the Master Bedroom!" Mitsuki said as she gently picked up Lily and carried her off to one of the rooms down the hallway.

Issei and Irina kept blushing as they walked down the hall. As soon as they entered the master bedroom, Irina pulled two futons out of her magic circle and placed them on the floor alongside two pillows and two blankets.

"So, um," Irina said.

"It's fine," Issei said.

"Issei," Irina said, grabbing the back of his sleeve.

Issei froze at the action.

"I… know that you're not ready yet and that what we had before the girls is on hold even if you didn't say anything but… I'm here for you," Irina said, smiling. "Just… please remember that I'll always have your back."

Issei didn't turn, instead opting to stare at the floor in front of him.

Irina, seeing that Issei didn't respond, let go and turned around. As she was about to lie down, Irina felt Issei's arms wrap around her. Her breath hitched as she glanced at Issei, whose head was on her shoulders.

"I… I'm sorry if I look like I'm not returning your affections… it's just. I'm trying to forget this so… I put on this face and these airs. I'm sorry if I'm giving you mixed signals but please… don't go," Issei said, his hot breath tickling her skin.

Irina untangled herself from Issei's arms and turned around. She cupped his cheek in her hand and smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere, Issei. I'll wait for you to be ready again, no matter how long it takes," Irina said.

"What if I'm ready now?" Issei asked.

"What do yo-!" Irina's eyes widened when Issei crashed his lips into hers. The taste of Issei ingrained itself into her memories. The touch of his lips on hers. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, her heart jumping.

Issei smiled into the kiss when he felt Irina lean into it. He savored this moment and memorized every detail. The softness of her lips against his own. The taste of strawberries that accompanied the kiss. The scent of her hair.

This was not the first time that they had kissed. They had shared many before the mind-controlled harem incident but this one… this one was more magical than any of the past kisses that they had.

The two pulled away from each other, a trail of saliva connecting them and looked into each other's eyes.

"That was… wow," Issei said.

Irina merely smiled as Issei struggled to get words out.

"I love you, Issei," Irina said.

"I… I love you too," Issei said.

The young couple leaned in and shared one more kiss as the light of the moon shone through the windows of their apartment.

* * *

**Occult Research Club, 5:30 PM**

* * *

Asia sat behind what was formerly Rias's desk as she read over several papers, regarding the contracts. Eren stood next to her, helping her with the claims. He sifted through several papers and filed them into piles that corresponded to a member of the Gremory Peerage.

"Hey Eren," Asia said.

"Mmm," Eren responded as he placed another contract in the Kiba File.

"Rias-oneesama called me earlier and told me that she retrieved her new set of Evil Pieces. Do you want to… join her peerage?" Asia asked.

"If it means spending an eternity with you, then I'd gladly be a devil," Eren said, grinning.

Asia smiled but the more she looked at Eren, the more of Natalia Asia was able to see in him. She frowned and looked down. Asia sent glances at him which worried the boy.

"Hey, are you alright?" Eren asked.

"I…," Asia began._ Should I tell him?_

Asia looked at her boyfriend and her heart clenched. Should she tell him what she discovered and quite possibly alter his perception of his older sister forever?

"Nevermind. It was a silly thing anyway," Asia said, returning to her work.

"Are you sure? You know I like silly things," Eren said.

"Yeah. It's nothing important," Asia said.

"Alright, but if it's bothering you, tell me okay?" Eren said as he got back to work.

_Oh Eren,_ Asia thought as she glanced at him.

_I know it was you who snuck into my office, Asia. If you want to keep seeing him, don't tell him. It's the only way to keep him safe._

_Safe? Safe from what? No… the way she meant it… who is she afraid of?_ Asia thought as she placed a paper in the Koneko pile.

_What is Subject 001? What's Project Special Child and what does Eren's family have to do with this?_ Asia thought as her mind went over the details she perused from Natalia's office.

_I need to tell someone. Nii-san and Nee-san? No, I don't want to bother them… Ah! Sirzechs-sama! He's still here investigating the thing with Rias-oneesama's min-! _Asia's mind connected the dots as she remembered what happened in Natalia's office.

_I have to tell them,_ Asia thought frantically.

"Eren?" Asia said.

"Yeah," Eren said.

"Can you watch the ORC for a bit? I need to go speak to Lucifer-sama about something," Asia said.

"Oh, sure!" Eren said.

"I won't be long," Asia said, placing a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek.

As soon as Asia closed the door behind her, she formed a CC and ran for the main academy building.

"_Hello? Asia?_" Sirzechs' voice called over the CC.

"Sirzechs-sama! Are you on campus?" Asia asked.

"_Um, yes. I'm in the Student Council Room. Why?_" he asked

"There's something important I need to tell you!" Asia said.

As she ran into the school, Asia was unaware of a presence watching her from a distance. Its golden eyes shimmered ominously before disappearing in a swirl of orange flames.

* * *

**South Dakota, 9:30 AM**

* * *

Mitsuki rubbed her eyes sleepily as she exited her room. Her eyes adjusted and she realized that she wasn't in her own house. Mitsuki chuckled silently as the realization of yesterday's events came rushing back to her mind. She was in another country with her brother and his maybe girlfriend.

The sound of a rumbling stomach alerted her to the lack of food in their apartment.

"I need food. Aniki should go buy some," Mitsuki said as she headed towards the door of the Master Bedroom. Mitsuki opened the door slowly, as to not wake them up immediately and was met with a heartwarming sight. It took all of her strength not to break and let the cooing noise exit her mouth. Issei slept, his arm wrapped around Irina while Irina rested her head upon his chest.

She covered her mouth as a squee threatened to escape from inside of her. Her brown eyes sparkled as she fumbled for her phone. The sound of a camera shutter going off, caused the sleeping couple to stir as Mitsuki quickly put her phone away.

_For the memories… and the blackmail_, Mitsuki thought as she smiled at them.

Issei's eyes slowly opened as he looked at his twin sister groggily. Irina feeling the warmth leaving her, grasped for Issei or a blanket, at this point she didn't care, to keep herself warm.

"Mii-chan… it's early. Go back to sleep," Issei yawned.

"Aniki, it's nine…," Mitsuki answered, looking at the time on her phone. "It's nine forty-five in the morning! Wake up. We have no food so I need you to come with me into town to go buy some."

"Why don't you just go with Tohka?" Issei said as he began to lie down.

"Noo, you need to get your lazy ass into gear and help. Other than me, you're the only one here that can cook so come on!" Mitsuki said, grabbing his arm. Issei groaned as he stood up.

"Let me get ready at least," Issei said.

"Fine… I need to take a shower anyways too," Mitsuki said as she left the room. Issei smiled and prepared to lie down when Mitsuki called out to him.

"DON'T YOU DARE LIE DOWN!" she said.

"Ugh, fucking twin telepathy," Issei said as he stood up. He made his way over to his bag and began to dig for his towel, shampoo, and soap. He stripped down and placed his clothes on a hanger that he had retrieved from the closet and stepped into the shower. As he let the hot water run down his body, Issei closed his eyes.

**[What are you thinking about?]** Ddraig asked.

"_Hey, Ddraig? Irina and I? What are we now? I know that I shouldn't jump into another relationship so soon but…_," Issei said.

**[*sigh* Partner, this is entirely up to you but if I were you, I would go for it. She is loyal to you. She loves you. And she has your oppai requirement. And besides, she stuck by you this entire time. You would be letting an opportunity pass by letting her wait.]** Ddraig said.

"_I guess,"_ Issei said. "_But I feel like I'm rushing yet… I want to do this."_

**[Just follow your heart on this one, Issei.]** Ddraig said.

Issei smiled a little as he began to wash the soap off his body. "_I am kind of hungry. I'll go with Mitsuki and ask Tohka to take us to Walmart to go buy some food_," Issei said.

**[You do that. I'm going to take a nap.]** Ddraig said.

"_Lazy bastard_," Issei said as he walked out of the bathroom and began to put his clothes on. His eyes drifted to the still sleeping form of Irina, who had begun to hug his pillow. A small smile was on her face as she soundly slept. Issei smiled.

_I guess we are a couple now_, he thought as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead before exiting the room.

"Took you long enough," Mitsuki said as she waited outside his door. She was dressed in track pants and a white zip-up jacket that revealed her blue shirt underneath. It was contrasted to his get-up which consisted of all black clothing with a redshirt. "Come on. I ran into Tohka outside and she said she'll go with us to Walmart since she has things to buy there."

Issei nodded and they exited the apartment, locked the door behind them and saw Tohka waiting for them outside. She was wearing a pale yellow jacket, shorts, and black running shoes.

"Good morning. Was your first night in this country nice?" Tohka asked as they walked to the elevator.

"It was alright. We managed to set up the beds. We're going to spend today setting up the furniture. I'm hoping that Risa would get someway to get Heaven to send us some without getting noticed or maybe Az-nee can," Issei said.

"Az-nee?" Tohka asked, tilting her head.

"Azrael," Issei said.

"Ah, her," she replied.

They exited the apartment complex and made their way down the street, the three spotted a boy running towards them. His skin was tan, tanner than anyone Issei had met in Japan. His long onyx black hair was tied in a short wolf tail at the back of his head. His eyes were a mix of hazel and orange and held an air of mischief inside of them. The boy wore a grey jacket with a black shirt underneath with the Nike logo on it. He wore black shorts and had on blue running shoes. He wore a bracelet with a black sun on the band, much like Tohka's jacket from yesterday.

"Tohka!" the boy said, grinning and showing off one of his fangs.

"Mica!" Tohka said, waving.

"Tohka! Fancy running into you this early," Mica said.

"I was just heading over to Wal-Mart with the new tenants. Wanna come with?" she asked.

"New tenants?" Mica looked over and saw Issei and Mitsuki waving at him. "Oho? So you're the new kids? Well, my name is Mica Johnson! And I am-"

"Mike. They're Devils," Tohka said.

"Really? Well, I'm Mica, the New Coyote God of Mischief, and descendant of the Original Mica! Nice to meetcha!" he said, holding his hand out.

"I wouldn't do that if I were… you," Tohka said as she watched Issei get zapped as soon as he made contact with Mica's hand.

"Trickster God," Mitsuki said. "He said he was a trickster god. You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book."

"I know," Issei said as he felt electricity coursing through his body.

"AHAHA! But seriously, it is nice to meet you," he said, holding his other hand out.

"Are you…?" Issei asked.

"No tricks this time," he said.

Issei shook hands with him and the two grinned at each other.

"Name's Issei Hyoudou," Issei said. "That's my little Mitsuki Hyoudou."

Mitsuki pouted as she grumbled some words under her breath.

"Three minutes…"

The four chatted as they made their way into town. Sioux Falls was not a small town as Tohka had made them believe it was. The word town wasn't even the right word to describe it. Sioux Falls was a city. In fact, it was the most populated city west of the Minnesota border and the most populated city in South Dakota. Issei and Mitsuki looked around, seeing and looked at Tohka, who looked at them in a confused manner.

"Do you know what a small town is?" Issei asked.

"Okay, I get that it's not small but it's no New York. We don't have that many big buildings," Tohka said as she looked at all the businesses. She was right. Issei saw no high rise buildings nor skyscrapers like he had seen in Kyoto or even the Gremory Territory in the Underworld.

As they arrived at the Wal-Mart, Issei and Mitsuki grabbed a cart and went off, saying to Tohka and Mica that they would meet up with them after they were finished. Mitsuki ran ahead of Issei to the produce section and came back with a bag of fruits and some vegetables.

"Hey, Aniki, I'm going to head off to the restroom. You mind looking going to the deli and getting some meat?" Mitsuki asked. Issei nodded and pushed his cart. He was absentmindedly looking at different cuts that they had laid out. Feeling satisfied with the pork belly, Issei picked it up.

"Hmm, we might be able to make some katsudon tonight… now, where do I find the rice?" Issei said to himself.

"Ummm, excuse me?" a voice called out to Issei from his left.

"Huh?" Issei turned around and saw a girl standing in front of him with a shy smile on her face. The girl had soft caramel orange eyes. Her face was heart-shaped with a soft, kind smile on her face. She had long back length violet hair with a large cowlick at the front. The girl wore a white jacket with khakis and white tennis shoes. She also had a silver necklace with a black sun emblem at the end. On her right arm was a grocery basket filled with several items.

"Um, I'm sorry. I overheard you talking to yourself. The rice is in the grains aisle. I can take you there if you want?" she said.

"Oh really! Thanks!" Issei said, placing the meat cuts into his cart.

"Just follow me," the girl said. Issei followed her to the grains and rice aisle.

"Thanks… uhh," Issei said as he bent down and grabbed several bags of rice.

"It's Ingvild and you're welcome," the girl said, smiling at her. She began to walk off when Issei called out to her.

"Aniki!" Issei turned around and saw Mitsuki running up to him. Tohka and Mica were right behind her, walking and each carrying a large tub of ice cream. Mitsuki, herself, was carrying a box of fish sticks and a packet of bacon.

"Oh, there you guys are," Issei said.

"Hmm," Mitsuki said as she placed the food inside. Tohka and Mica placed their ice cream tubs into the cart.

"So you ready to pay for it?" Tohka asked as she watched Issei and Mitsuki go through the cart.

"Yeah, I think we're good for now. All we need are eggs," Mitsuki said. She walked off in front of them while Issei, Tohka, and Mica lagged behind her.

"Hey, I have a question," Issei said.

"I'll try my best to answer," Tohka said.

"Is it okay for me and my friends to enroll in your school this week? I don't really want to fall behind when I get back," Issei said.

"Sure! I'll ask dad to help you get your paperwork ready," Tohka said.

"This is going to be fun. Another person like us at the school," Mica said.

"Aniki! Tohka! Mica! Come on!" Mitsuki called.

"Well, we better catch up with her," Issei said as they began to walk faster.

* * *

Natalia sat in her office, typing at her computer when she felt it. A presence behind her. She didn't even spare a glance at the figure when they spoke to her.

"That nun has discovered you," the voice spoke. It was the voice of a woman. The temperature in the room rose with every word she spoke.

Natalia ignored the rising heat as her violet eyes finally met the woman's golden ones.

"How is that my problem? I did what you all asked. All I'm waiting for is for you to fulfill your end of the bargain," she said.

It was the wrong thing to say as Natalia found herself pinned to the wall, a hand firmly clasped around her throat. Natalia felt her throat begin to constrict as the woman tightened her grip.

"Silly girl. You're done when we say you're done. You wouldn't want for… oh let's say your brother to be barbequed alive would you," the woman said as her blonde hair began to flicker with flames.

"Tch! Fine! I understand!" Natalia choked out.

"Good. Now, he might be awakened but he's not here. Find him and report his location or better yet, bring him to me. And take care of the nun," the woman said.

Natalia looked up at the woman with a glare and nodded. A wide smile appeared on the woman's face before she disappeared in a vortex of flames.

Natalia rubbed her throat before sitting down on the floor. She leaned against the wall and brought her knees up to her chest and began to sob.

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**leader. dbz: Hmmm, maybe I will. **

**AnimeFan0216: Oh, he might be... fufufu. Actually, he might be called back sooner than he expects.**

**Scrumblenut: Why thank you! I planned to have more branches appear in the original version but really later in the story so this was one of the things I decided to change in the rewrite! I have members of Blacklight disguised everywhere in this chapter.**

**Rhongomyniad: You're right on the whole "Native American Gods united as a single pantheon". The main reason for this was European Colonization and American Westward Expansion. As you know, the Old World Gods basically had stakes in the New World Explorers and actively supported them from the shadows. In this fic, Gods don't fade from lack of belief and when they die, they die. Gods have souls as well but they are fundamentally different from the souls of other beings. As for the monsters, I read your review and implemented one of your ideas but for me, the vampires in the US are more a mix of the Supernatural Vampires and the Strigoi from the Strain, if you've seen the show or read the book. The Native Gods will appear since... well, I'll keep it a secret for now.**

**So, what does Natalia have to do with Issei's harem? I guess it's pretty obvious if you think about it and what happened. Or is it? And who was the woman who threatened her? Will Asia make it to Sirzechs and tell him what she found!? Anyway, that's all for now. Issei met Ingvild and Asia's in danger. I'm sorry if the plot seems like it's all over the place to some of you (There is a plot. Just read it. It's moving slowly.) or if it's moving too slowly. Remember, review, follow, favorite. Have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!~**


	11. Hostage

**Okay. Not much to say but here is a new chapter.**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**October 30, 2019, Sky Apartments, 7:45 PM; Current Time: 4 Minutes and 55 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! _

_**SMASH!**_

Issei groaned as he sat up. He blinked his eyes sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. Issei yawned as he started to get out of bed.

"Issei… come back to bed," Irina moaned as she tugged on his arm.

"I want to… but today's the first day of our classes here," Issei said.

"Wha…," Irina said as the words finally sunk in. Her eyes shot open as she dashed out of bed.

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIIIIT!" Irina cursed as she ran into the bathroom, leaving Issei stupefied. Irina cursed rarely if ever. He heard the shower turn on and sighed. It would be a while before she got out and Mitsuki was most likely occupying the other bathroom as well so that left him with nowhere to go to take a shower. Deciding to take the first shower in their apartment that was open, Issei walked out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

"Better make some food while those two are in the shower," Issei said as he opened the fridge. He felt a presence enter the room and turned around. A familiar mop of red hair was standing right behind him and Issei smiled.

"Good morning, Lily," Issei said.

"Morning," the little girl said as she clutched a stuffed lion in her arms. Issei smiled. She was opening up little by little. Issei bent down and picked her up, placing her on the chair. Lily swung her legs, looking at Issei with apt interest. Issei grabbed a pan from the cabinet and broke the eggs, beginning to cook the eggs.

"Ah, Aniki, the shower's ready if you want," Mitsuki said, walking into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her still-drying hair. Her hazel eyes traveled over to Lily and lit up. She walked over and picked up the girl, twirling her around in the air.

"Good morning Lil-Lil!" Mitsuki said. Lily smiled and laughed as Mitsuki spun her around, causing Issei.

"Mii-chan," Issei said. Mitsuki stopped to look at her brother.

"Hmmm?" Mitsuki said as she looked at Issei expectantly.

"Can you finish cooking the food while I go shower?" Issei asked.

"Sure," Mitsuki said as she placed Lily down and walked over to the pan. Issei then promptly left the room to take a shower.

* * *

"So Tohka," Issei said as he walked down the street with her, slightly ahead of Mitsuki, Mica, and Irina, who were chatting happily with each other.

"Yeah?" Tohka said.

"So, when we asked Ouranos if he could enroll us, he never actually took us to see the school so can you tell us what your school is like?" Issei asked.

"My school?" Tohka asked. "Well?" she placed a finger on her chin.

"Our school! Well, there's fights left and right!" Mica butted in as he got in between them, grinning. His fang glinted in the light as he looked at Issei.

"Fights?" Issei asked.

Tohka chopped Mica in the forehead, sending the God into the ground. "Don't listen to him. Our school is okay. Why? Did you have a preconceived notion of American High Schools from movies or something? I know that's what most exchange students say when they first come here," Tohka said.

"Well…," Issei began.

"Yeah, kind of," Mitsuki said.

"I'm sorry about those two. They've never been outside of Japan in terms of school," Irina said.

"Oh? Did you go to school somewhere else before Japan?" Mica asked as he pulled out a stick of gum from his pocket.

"Yeah, I went to a girls' school while I was in England," Irina said.

"Really? Which school?" Mica asked in apt interest.

"Salem Academy. Why?" Irina asked.

Tohka and Mica looked at each other, blinking in surprise.

"Um, did you just say, Salem?" Tohka asked.

"Yeah. Why? Do you know someone who goes there?" Irina asked.

"You could say that," Tohka said.

"Is that the school?" Mitsuki asked.

In front of them was a massive school. The school was surrounded by a large 30-foot tall brick wall. There was a large iron gate underneath an elegant arch decorated and guarded by ebony gargoyles that looked down imposingly on them. The school grounds were large. Larger than the combined land area of both Kuoh Elementary and Kuoh Middle School. A large fountain stood out in the main quad as students walked around chatting happily amongst themselves. The main school building was massive with at least four stories in height. The presence of Greek Architecture could be seen as columns as well as a massive dome at the center stood proudly, towering over the school. The American Flag, as well as the Union Jack of the UK and the Nisshoki of Japan, flew proudly in the air. Mitsuki's eyes rose when she saw the Ashoka Chakra of the Indian Flag, the Sun of May of the Argentina Flag, the Blue Ensign of the Australian Flag, the Sky Blue and White of Grecian Flag, the White, Blue, and Red Tricolor Flag of Russia, the Tricolor and Eagle of Saladin of Egypt's Flag, and the Star of David of Israel's Flag. Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki spotted several school buses arriving and offloading their passengers.

"This looks like Salem," Irina said as she eyed the scenery.

"I thought you said this was a public school," Issei said as he looked at the extravagant architecture.

"It is… sort of," Mica said.

"Sort of?" Mitsuki asked.

"It's funded by a family," Mica said. "I think you've heard of them. One of their ancestors was pretty famous back during the Hundred Years War. D'Arc."

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki froze at the mention of the name.

"D- Did you say D'Arc?" Issei asked.

"Like Jeanne D'Arc?" Mitsuki asked.

"That's the one but the people who run this school are descended from her sister, Catherine D'Arc," Tohka said.

"I didn't know the Maid of Orleans had a sister," Irina asked.

"No one knows much of Jeanne D'Arc's personal life but the family who owns the school does since the sister inherited her diaries. One of the teachers is descended from her and she said that the school in the UK was established by the descendant of Jeanne D'Arc's brother, Pierre D'Arc," Tohka said as they entered the school.

"Wow, amazing," Issei said.

"I'll take you to the Principal's office to get your schedules. Mica, I'll see you in first period," Tohka said.

"See ya," Mica said as he took a left down the hall. The interior of the school was reminiscent of the schools that Issei and Mitsuki saw in movies. Their feet clacked on the tile floor as the three followed Tohka through the halls. Rows of lockers lined the hall as they made their way to the administration office.

They stopped outside the door with the words, Administration Office.

"Wait here while I talk to the Principal," Tohka said.

The three nodded and Tohka walked inside. Inside, four people were waiting for her. The first was a woman. She had an aloof beauty about her and possessed platinum blonde hair. Her eyes were a deep shade of gold. A small ahoge stood atop her head. The woman wore a black jacket with a dark shirt underneath as well as black pants.

The man next to her had pale silver hair as well as deep blue eyes. He had slight stubble on his chin. Like the woman, he wore a black shirt as well as a red zip-up jacket. The man also wore blue jeans and brown hiking boots.

"Hey, Tohks," the man said.

"Come on, Eric. Let the girl speak," a woman to sitting behind the desk said. The woman possessed an unholy aura about her. Her hair was a pale blue, almost silver. She possessed toxic yellow eyes that unnerved Tohka the more she looked into them. She wore a white longsleeved dress shirt with a black vest over it. She wore a black skirt with black leggings.

"Yes, girl. Speak," the man next to her said. He had dark skin and his head was shaven. His eyes were silver, possessing boundless wisdom hidden beneath the mercuric pools. He wore an inverted version of the woman's clothing with a black dress shirt and white vest with white pants and black shoes. A necklace with a heron's head hung around his neck.

"Um, right. So I came into contact with the Red Dragon Emperor and he enrolled in this school," Tohka said.

"I see," the blonde woman said, placing her hand on her chin.

"What are we going to do Lisa?" the silver-haired man asked.

"Nothing, for now, Eric. Dantalion, Thoth, make sure the Red Dragon's and his friends' schedules line up completely with Tohka and Mica's schedules," Lisa said, her golden eyes darting over to the two behind the desk.

"Sure thing, Lisa," Dantalion said as she began to type away.

"Here," Thoth said, handing her the schedules.

"Thanks, Thoth," Tohka said, smiling.

"You're most welcome, Shinto Princess," Thoth said. "Oh, and one more thing."

"Hmm?" Tohka asked, blinking at the God.

"Tell your aunt to stop sending me these! I'm told her that if she wants to send cats, to send them to Bastet!" Thoth said, handing Tohka a white kitten.

"Aww, she's cute," Tohka said as the kitten licked her cheek.

"Shouldn't you be going to class?" Lisa asked.

"Shouldn't you?" Tohka asked, handing her the cat before walking out.

"Cheeky," Lisa remarked.

"She's right though. We should probably head to our classrooms. We are teachers after all," Eric said.

"Only as a cover," Lisa said, grabbing a bag laying on one of the tables and walking out.

* * *

**Kuoh Town, 11:45 PM**

* * *

Asia sat in the middle of the training room as Eren dodged an attack from Tatsuya. Over the past few days, Eren had grown in power as he trained the use of his Sacred Gear. Eren was now capable of generating plant life from magic circles that he summoned from his Gear. The plants generated by Eren's Sacred Gear as they had discovered was flame-retardant.

Asia was training as well. The moment she had with Eren's older sister was the last straw for her. The level of power Eren's sister wielded was overwhelming. Not even Rias could hold a candle to her nor Akeno. If she had to put Natalia on a scale of power, she was almost as powerful as her siblings in their base forms.

_I have to get stronger. I'm done being weak. I'm done being just support. I may not be able to punch or kick my way out of situations but I'm a Bishop and that means that my talents lie elsewhere. In magic_, Asia thought as she amassed copious amounts of Taint within her body. She exhaled and everyone froze. Rias glanced in her direction, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as a pulse of power exploded from Asia.

Asia opened her eyes as a green aura was forming around her. The aura suddenly dispersed and Asia was left winded.

"Not strong enough," Asia said as she began to gather more power around herself.

"Asia, what are you doing?" Rias asked.

"Becoming stronger. I need to become stronger!" Asia said as she flared her aura again.

"That's great and all but… please, don't overexert yourself," Rias said.

"If you want," a voice said. "I can teach you a special brand of magic that most people don't practice anymore, at least most people on Earth. Angels still use this kind of magic to a lesser extent."

"Azazel-sama!" Akeno said.

"Oji-san," Asia said, looking at Azazel.

"Asia," Azazel said. The Fallen Archangel's eyes traveled across the room and spotted four new occupants. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Azazel-sama, what are you doing here?" Rias asked.

"Oh, I just came to check on you guys since… you know, you were affected with mind magic and all. Who are these guys?" Azazel asked.

"Just some prospects," Rias said as she sweated slightly.

"Prospects?"

"Well, the one over there with the plants is Asia's boyfriend," Rias said.

"Asia got a boyfriend? And he's still alive?" Azazel asked.

"Why does everyone keep saying that? It's not as if Nii-san or Nee-san were actually going to kill him," Asia said, puffing her cheeks.

"We know. We're just joking pipsqueak," Azazel said, ruffling her hair. Asia pouted and slapped Azazel's hand off her head.

"Please stop petting me. I don't need another Issei and Mitsuki," Asia said.

"You might not be the sole head pat receiver in the foreseeable future so enjoy it while it lasts. So how about it? Wanna learn the magic I offered to teach just now? It would be nice if you can do more than just summon Fafnir and healing. If the area you're in is spatial-locked, you won't be able to use summoning spells so broadening your perspectives is a good idea," Azazel said.

Asia nodded but then a thought came to her mind. "Can I talk to you about something? It's about…," Asia trailed off.

Azazel raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to follow him and the two left the basement.

As they made their way to the front door, Azazel spoke.

"So, your boyfriend has the Purgatory Blossom I see," Azazel said.

"Purgatory Blossom?" Asia asked.

"A High Tier Elemental Sacred Gear that allows one to manipulate the roots and aspects of the Sephirot Tree," Azazel said.

"You mean…?" Asia asked, shocked by his answer.

"The very same in the Garden of Eden which is sealed in the Shehaqim, or the Third Heaven," Azazel said as they walked down the path.

"I see," Asia said.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Azazel said.

"About… Natalia, my boyfriend's sister," Asia said.

"What about her?" Azazel asked.

"I told Sirzechs-sama this and they're looking into this now… her heritage and everything and I did some research by myself and… have you heard of the Naamah Devil Family?" Asia asked.

"I have," Azazel said. "They are descended from one of Lucifer's daughters, Naamah."

"I think that… Eren and his sister are descendants of the Naamah Family from reading about them," Asia said, stopping.

"Really? What proof do you have of this?" Azazel asked, curious about her theory.

"The power of the Naamah from what I read is called Luxuria. That power can… implant thoughts into the minds of others and even control them. Force them to obey their commands with just their voice or amplify thoughts of their own creation and make you think it's yours," Asia said.

"That's how Luxuria works. It's a power that messes with your mind," Azazel said.

"I was on the receiving end of it a few days ago," Asia said.

"What?" Azazel exclaimed as he looked at her incredulously,

"Eren's older sister, she had me under a hold. Made my entire body freeze with just her voice. Nothing I did worked. My mind left me. My body became her puppet," Asia said. "And she wants me to… to bring Issei back here."

Azazel looked down. Nothing about this situation made sense. Everything that had happened in the past few weeks was completely illogical. Something bigger was happening.

_Why?_ _Why would she want Issei back here? As far as I know, Issei nor anyone from the Hyoudous have no connection to anyone named Natalia Yatogami. And the two families never had any contact with each other until Asia and Eren started to date… wait… that's it!_ Azazel thought as he slowly connected the dots.

"How long have you two been dating?" Azazel asked.

"Eh? Me and Eren? Why are you ask-!" Asia was interrupted as Azazel looked at her.

"Just answer it!... Please, it might help me with what I'm thinking of," Azazel said.

"O- Okay. Eren and I started dating a month ago and we've been friends for several months before we went into the final battle against the Beast of the Sea," Asia said.

"And how long did Rias and the other girls say that they were experiencing these headaches that you mentioned to Sirzechs?" Azazel asked.

"I wouldn't know… I wasn't there when he asked," Asia answered.

"Eight months," Azazel said. "Eight months."

"T- that's when they moved here," Asia said. "You don't mean to say that she's been doing this for months on end without anyone noticing?"

"No, she didn't. We would have noticed," Azazel said. "She must have done this in increments and I assume that Trihexa's release placed… a damper on her plans, whatever they may be."

"H- How?" Asia asked.

"Have you ever heard of Pavlov's Dogs?" Azazel asked.

"The ones that respond whenever a bell is rung because, after countless trials in which they rang the bell and brought food, they've come to associate the bell with their meal," Asia said.

"That's what she was doing. Doing it so subtly that we wouldn't notice and how would we? Rias didn't act out of the ordinary. It was only until after the fight that the constant subtle exposure began to take hold. Thoughts that involved her treating Issei coldly and seeking someone else was being amplified, floating inside of their heads like a nagging voice that won't go away until she obeyed it," Azazel said.

"Wait, then why didn't she just do what she did to me? Her voice was the only thing that she needed to turn my body into her puppet," Asia asked.

"It's a difference in strength between you two. Rias and the other girls are much closer to her or surpass her in power, thus if she tried to do that, they could just shut her out. But she… she had the element of anonymity on her side. They didn't know she was there, subtly influencing their minds with practically no resistance to her but even then, her power needed to be constantly reinforced to take hold. A limit to Luxuria is the closer someone is to you in power or the more someone is stronger than you, the harder it is for the magic to hold. If she tried that on someone like Sirzechs for example, no amount of subtlety would allow her to sway him, not even one bit," he said.

"With the constant missions that you all had during the War, her control must have loosened because she wasn't constantly around you to implant and reinforce the same thoughts. You know, rinse and repeat," Azazel said.

"Why didn't it work on Irina or Rossweisse then?" Asia asked.

"It must have been due to the nature of their stay around her. Rossweisse was recalled to the North to check on the Seal a few months after it ended and Irina was often away was she not?" Azazel asked.

"What about me and Mitsuki? She never tried using it on either of us until a few days ago with me," Asia said.

"Mitsuki is too powerful for her to control and as for you, I honestly don't know. The thing I find most strange about this is why? Why is she doing this? She has no reason. No motive at all. It's like she just one day decided to come and ruin Issei's life. As far as I'm aware, the Hyoudous have no interaction or history with a family with the last name of Yatogami," Azazel said, placing a hand on his chin.

Asia looked down, contemplating on what Azazel had just said. If she was honest, it did confuse her. Why did Natalia do this? What was her end goal? Her motive? Memories of the conversation she had with Natalia in her office while she was helpless surface in her mind.

"She… she said that she was doing this to protect Eren," Asia said.

"Huh?" Azazel looked up at her. "Protect him from what?"

"I don't know but… I think it might be connected to this," Asia said as she pulled her phone out and handed it to Azazel. On it was a picture of the files she had found on Natalia's desk the night she went to their house for dinner. Azazel squinted his eyes as he zoomed in on the picture.

_Status: Awake? Project Special Child? Subject 001? Huh? What's this? All he needs is for someone to come and retrieve him. Approach with caution… the target is the Red Dragon Emperor_, Azazel read.

"It seems that this is how she knows of them through this file and she is aware… that Issei is the Red Dragon Emperor. From the looks of things, she was sent to do this," Azazel said.

"That fits in with what she said. What if they sent her to do this and threatened Eren at the same time if she wasn't successful? It seems to be the only plausible theory I have so far," Asia said.

"Mitsuki rubbed off on you I see," Azazel said. "But yes, everything you've just said is correct."

"But why her?" Asia asked.

"Because among the Devil Clans, the Naamah is the Black Hand of their Princess," a voice called out from behind them. Azazel and Asia turned around and saw Azrael standing behind them, her obsidian eyes twinkling in the night. In her right hand was Rossweisse, who looked at them sheepishly.

"Rossweisse-sensei?" Asia said.

"Yeah, I saw this one eavesdropping on your conversation," Azrael said as she let go of her. Rossweisse landed on her knees and immediately dusted herself off after standing.

"I- I'm sorry for following you but I assumed that you were here to talk about Issei and I… I'm so sorry!" Rossweisse said.

"It's fine," Azazel said. "We could use a head or two on this," Azazel said.

"Fine," Azrael said, sitting next to them. "But… Asia might be onto something."

"You think so?" Azazel asked his twin.

"Yes, and I have something that might finally settle this once and for all," Azrael said. "But, it involves you putting yourself in harm's way. Are you okay with that?"

Asia furrowed her brows in concentration, deciding what she should do. Her green eyes twinkled as she thought her choice over.

_I… I have to do this. For Nii-san. To finally end this and have things go back to normal and maybe even… save them from whatever it is or whoever it is that made them do it_, Asia said to herself.

"I'll do it," Asia said.

Rossweisse, who had been silently observing her this whole time, looked at her with wide eyes.

"What!?" she yelled.

"I'll do it," Asia said once more.

"I see. Well then," Azrael said.

"Wait! Wait a minute! Are we seriously going to just let Asia put herself in harm's way just to get the person who did this? Are you all insane!?" Rossweisse yelled.

"Rossweisse," Asia said, catching the Valkyrie's attention. "I have to do this. Nii-san, he's saved me more times than I can count and watching him suffer because of what Natalia… no, whoever's making her do this. It makes me… feel angry."

"Asia," Rossweisse said.

"It's my turn to help him for once. To end this once and for all," Asia said.

"I see. I don't like this but… I'll help you. Should we tell the others?" Rossweisse said, agreeing reluctantly to Asia's sudden bravery.

"Kiba. Tell him and Oji-san?" Asia said, glancing at Azazel.

"Hmm?" Azazel asked, looking at her.

"Tell Sirzechs-sama what's going on but… tell him not to make any moves. Not until we get her what she wants," Asia said.

"What she wants… wait! You don't mean!" Azrael said, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Not until, Nii-san gets here," Asia finally said.

* * *

**Eve High School, South Dakota, 11:45 AM**

* * *

"Whew, still getting used to moving from class to class," Issei said as he exited the classroom. Irina and Mitsuki walked behind him, looking at him with a look of understanding.

"You'll get used to it but you're doing great so far as a foreign exchange student," Tohka said as she walked up to them.

"Thanks, Tohka," Issei said.

A loud growling noise alerted everyone and Tohka clenched her fist as her eyes flashed a silvery blue. Issei paled when he saw her hands begin to crackle with small silver sparks.

"What was that?" she asked, her body becoming extremely tense.

"Umm, that was my stomach? Do you know where the cafeteria is?" Issei said, laughing sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, geez, your stomach is loud. Follow me," Tohka said as she walked down the hall.

As the four walked down the hall, Issei chatted happily with Irina, his sister, and Tohka with the three "exchange" students asking her more about the school. The school was officially established as a learning institution in 1845, making it one of the oldest schools in the US and was turned into a high school in the year 1950.

"Hey, do you know where the bathroom is?" Mitsuki asked.

"Yeah, just take a left here. We'll wait for you in the cafeteria. To get there, just go back the way you came after exiting the bathroom and take a left and go straight. You'll see two large doors that lead to the multi-purpose room," Tohka said.

"Thanks!" Mitsuki said, running off. Feeling her bladder about to burst open, Mitsuki sprinted down the hall and took a left. She saw the sign for the Women's Restroom and smiled. The door slowly opened and Mitsuki saw someone exiting.

"Watch out!" Mitsuki said as she crashed into another figure.

The two fell to the ground unceremoniously as they collided, skidding on the floor a few feet away from the restroom door.

"Owww," Mitsuki said, rubbing her head.

"Are you alright?" a voice said.

Mitsuki blinked as she looked up and saw an eerie yellow eye looking straight into her soul. The woman before her had an unnatural beauty about her. Her skin was the perfect shade between fair and tan. Her hair was long and flowing, reaching down to her back with one of her bangs covering her left eye. Her hair was as red as blood. She wore a blue sweater and skin-tight black pants.

"Umm, yeah," Mitsuki said, standing up.

"I'm Rey," the woman said.

"Mitsuki," Mitsuki answered in kind.

"It was nice to see you, Mitsuki," Rey said as she dusted herself and walked off.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too," Mitsuki said as she waved goodbye.

"So this is high school lunch in America?" Issei said as he looked down at his tray, which contained one slice of pizza, a milk carton, and a baked potato wrapped inside of aluminum foil.

"Yeah, new right? Is Japanese high school lunch as tasty as I imagine it to be?" Mica said as he sat down in front of Issei.

"It's average," Irina said as she and Tohka sat down next to them. "Though I can't really speak for the average high school. The high school we went to was funded by an extremely wealthy family so our lunches were restaurant-grade."

"Are you serious!?" Tohka asked.

"Serious about what?"

The four turned and saw Mitsuki walking over to them with a tray of food.

"The food at Kuoh," Irina said, sipping her juice.

"The food at Kuoh? Well, it's good. I mean it has to be. It's funded by the Gremory Family after all," Mitsuki said, sitting down.

"The Gremories? That's interesting," Mica said.

"You have any stray devil problems over here?" Mitsuki asked.

"We do from time to time but… the monsters over here tend to take care of them. A few weeks ago, we had a member of the Naberius clan I think it was? He tried to get a thunderbird to be his familiar but… the thing pecked and electrocuted him until he died," Tohka said. "That being said, the Devils tend to stay out of here mainly due to some of the monsters here being too wild, even for them. Wendigos are a big problem here, especially where we live."

"Didn't we have to get one later? The one that wiped out an entire campsite?" Mica asked.

"Yeah, I think Ingvild mentioned something about it," Tohka said.

"Wait, I think I've met someone with that name before?" Issei said.

Tohka and Mica blinked and looked at each other.

"Did she have purple hair?" Mica asked.

"Orange eyes?" Tohka asked.

"Wears a necklace with a sun on it?" they both asked simultaneously.

"Umm, yeah? Why? Do you guys know her or something?" Issei asked.

"Yeah, we're friends!"

Irina, Issei, and Mitsuki jumped in their seats when they saw a violet haired girl sit down next to them. Her orange eyes were sparkling in amusement as she looked at their surprised faces.

"Oh, Ingvild! Nice of you to join us," Tohka said as she popped a chicken nugget in her mouth.

"It's nice to see you again, Issei," Ingvild said, smiling with a slight red tint on her cheeks.

"Um, yeah," Issei said. "You too."

"You've met?" Mica asked, picking up a potato skin.

"Yeah, we met at Wal-Mart while I was shopping for Auntie Dana," Ingvild said.

"Right, so you mentioned Wendigos?" Mitsuki asked, intrigued by the topic.

"Oh right. It's wendigo season and we have to go clear out a wendigo that's been terrorizing the campgrounds outside of town," Ingvild said, placing her head on her hand.

"Hmmm, did they…?" Tohka said. Ingvild nodded.

Mica gave Tohka a look and she nodded.

_Those old geezers set this up on purpose. That Wendigo should have been taken care of already by Lisa and Eric or even Dantalion and Thoth but…_, Tohka looked at Issei, who was conversing with Irina and Ingvild.

_To let a Wendigo run around just to test his strength_, Tohka thought.

"When do we have to have it done?" Mica asked. Mitsuki, Issei, and Irina stopped talking

"They said tomorrow by midnight but... we can get it done today," Ingvild said, smiling as her eyes flashed blood red for a split second.

"_Ddraig, do you…?"_ Issei asked.

**[I do.]** Ddraig said. **[That girl has a Sacred Gear. An extremely powerful one at that.]**

"_Should I be careful around her?" _Issei asked.

**[That is completely up to you though by the way things are with her being friends with Ouranos's daughter, I'd say cut her some slack.]** Ddraig replied.

"You wanna come with us?" Mica asked, noticing the look on Issei's face.

"Huh?" Issei looked up from his lunch to meet the Trickster God's gaze. He had a fanged grin on his face as he looked Issei in the eye.

"Why not? It'll be a good way to train as well as see how tough the supernatural beings here are," Mitsuki said.

"I mean, if Mitsuki wants to go out there, I'll go," Issei said.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold on! What about Lily? We already asked Ouranos to look after her for the duration of the school day! We can't just up and dump her on him all night," Irina said. "That's extremely rude!"

"No worries," Tohka said. "Dad said that this might happen so he told me to tell you that he's fine doing it just for today."

"Really?" Issei asked, his eyes lighting up.

Tohka smiled and nodded at his enthusiasm. _Well, the part about him having some sort of lust for battle is there. I guess having the White Dragon Emperor as your ally does wonders to your battle streak_, Tohka thought.

"Okay, let's meet up after school and finish this as soon as possible," Ingvild said. "I have an exam tomorrow in AP US History and I don't want to be out that late."

"Alright! Let's meet up at the park down the street okay?" Mica said.

The six nodded as the bell rang, signaling the end of their lunch period.

* * *

"So, um, I have to ask since we don't have these over in Japan or anywhere we've been but what do wendigos look like?" Issei asked as they walked out of the city.

"Wendigos huh? Well, hmm, Wendigos look like people mostly but they look different from a normal human being. Wendigos are creatures of hunger and are constantly looking for a meal to satisfy them. They're pale in appearance, almost chalk white. They have the appearance of someone who's been starved for ages, emaciated to the point where it looks as if their skin is glued to their bones. They vary in size with newly born wendigos being 3 meters tall and mature wendigos being as large as that pine tree over there," Tohka said, pointing to the large pine tree that they had just passed.

Issei's eyes bugged out but he quickly composed himself.

_We've faced worse_, he reassured himself.

"What about other monsters?" Irina asked.

"Hmm, here in South Dakota?" Ingvild answered this time, placing a finger on her chin. "I guess we need to watch out for Wakinyans or as Tohka likes to call them thunderbirds. Werewolves are a problem from time to time but vampires are more annoying. Wendigos are the biggest problem but only in the fall and winter seasons. We get a Siren Head here every once in a while but those usually stay in Wisconsin. Same with Mothmen, Goatmen, Chupacabras, and La Llorona."

"What about Bigfoot?" Mitsuki asked in a giddy manner.

"Bigfoot? Yeah, he's more west and Florida," Mica said. "Though sometimes, there are Sasquatches here that pop up but the state is in the way of their migration. They travel to Canada during the winter."

"Oh," Mitsuki said, her face dropping.

"Sorry about her. Ever since she became a Devil, Mii-chan always wanted to know if Bigfoot was real but the other devils laughed at her. I think Seekvaira-san was having trouble taking her seriously when she asked that," Issei said.

"But… but at least I know that it's real!" Mitsuki said, smiling brightly at her older twin.

"Here we are," Mica said as the trees loomed in front of them. The pine trees cast an imposing shadow over the forest floor as the entirety of the woods blocked out the light of the setting sun. The sounds of animals were heard as yellow caution tape barred the entrance into the grounds.

"Black Forest Grounds," Irina said as she read the sign aloud.

"This used to be tribal grounds until the Americans showed up," Mica said as he placed a hand on the ground.

"Feel anything?" Ingvild asked.

"Yeah, it's here and so are… others," he said.

"Others?" Irina asked.

"There are people here. Campers most likely or some idiots from our high school," Tohka said as she unsheathed a black dagger that was tied to her hip.

Issei summoned the **[Boosted Gear]** while Mitsuki summoned **|Telos Karma|** and Irina unsheathed her holy sword, Hauteclere.

"The Boosted Gear? You must be the Red Dragon Emperor then?" Ingvild said, shocked at the appearance of the red gauntlet on Issei's arm.

"Yeah, pretty neat right?" Issei said.

"Yes, very," Ingvild said.

"Let's split up," Tohka said. Mica nodded as he and Tohka walked off.

"Hey wait! Are you sure?" Issei said.

"Yeah, you got Ingvild with you. If you find it first and need some help, send up a flare okay," Tohka said before she and Mica disappeared into the brush.

"Welp, it's just us now," Ingvild said as she ducked underneath the tape.

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki looked at each other as they followed the violet haired girl.

* * *

Issei hummed as he took in the view. It looked extremely different from the outside. The trail was lit only by the dim lights that lined the campsites and the bathrooms. The darkness was prevalent in the area. They had been walking for several hours now and the canopy of the forest blocked out the light of the moon and stars. Tohka and Mica had checked in via CC every once in a while but the four had walked in relatively comfortable silence. Issei held Irina's hand as the two followed behind Ingvild and Mitsuki.

"So Ingvild? How did you get into this?" Mitsuki asked as she swatted away some gnats and finally breaking the silence.

"Hmm? Oh, I was born into it," she said as a squirrel ran in front of her.

"Born into it?" Issei said.

"Yeah, I'm a cambion or half-devil," Ingvild said. "Born and raised as one by Auntie Dana."

"What family are you from?" Irina asked.

"Ummm… I guess I should tell you now and save you the trouble of trying to find out. I'm the descendant of the Original Leviathan," Ingvild said, her orange eyes twinkling in the dark.

"You're descended from the Original Leviathan?" Issei asked.

"Yeah. Technically, I'm a Princess like Vali Lucifer," Ingvild said.

"Wait… you know Vali?" Irina asked.

"I don't 'know' him per se. I know of him. He is my cousin after all," Ingvild said.

Issei froze when the sound of a branch snapping. A cold chill ran throughout his entire body. He let out a breath and saw it turn into a light mist.

"You felt it too right?" Irina said when she noticed Issei stiffen up.

"Yeah, and so did they," Issei said, nodding over to Mitsuki and Ingvild. Ingvild was looking straight ahead of them, her power slowly rising.

"It's moving," Ingvild said.

"To where," Issei said.

"Let's follow it," Ingvild said as she took off and ran down the path.

"Hey wait!" Issei said as he ran after her. Mitsuki and Irina followed as the sounds of brush and branches breaking echoed throughout the forest. Issei narrowed his eyes as he spotted something pale darting through the trees at a speed that shouldn't be possible for something that large and fragile in appearance.

"That's a…," Mitsuki said as her eyes grew wide. A scream ripped through the night sky, making them run even faster.

The four broke into the campground where Issei's eyes widened. A boy stood in front of two others, one male and one female and cowered in front of a towering figure. The beast was at least half the size of the pine trees and its skin was as pale as the moon. Its eyes were glassy as if it were a corpse. The being was emaciated to the point where it appeared painful just to move its arms and legs. It had no hair on its body and its fingers and toes were equipped with extremely sharp talon-like fingernails. Its mouth was lined with rows of jagged sharp teeth which it used to tear into the person it held in its hands. Blood sprayed everywhere as the being bit into the person, pulling its stomach and small intestine out. The sounds of chewing could be heard as it moved its mouth.

"That's a…?" Issei asked.

"Yes, it is," Ingvild said. "Let's go."

Her eyes bled into a blood-red color as her pupils had a violet bar manifesting in its center.

"You've been alive long enough," Ingvild said as she raised her arms. Several violet magic circles appeared behind her as water bullets fired out of them. The wendigo was hit with the bullets, forcing it to drop the human carcass in its hand and sending it crashing into a tree.

The wendigo roared as it stood and turned its attention to them.

"We got its attention," Ingvild said as she moved her hands. The wendigo struggled to move as Ingvild kept her hands raised.

"GO!" she yelled. The three nodded as Issei and Mitsuki ran towards the Wendigo. Irina spread her three pairs of wings and took to the air. She raised her arm and formed a yellow light spear and threw it at the Wendigo.

The creature roared in pain as the spear pierced through its shoulder. It growled as it looked at Irina. The wound began to slowly heal as the light spear began to dissipate.

"Issei! Mitsuki! You'll need to destroy it completely! Use fire to do it! Otherwise, it'll keep coming back!" Ingvild said as she tightened her grip around it.

"Got it!" Issei and Mitsuki yelled simultaneously as they leaped into the air.

"Aniki! Use your transfer on me after you boost!" Mitsuki said as a small flame manifested in her left hand.

"Got it! **[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!]**" Issei said.

**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] **

"Mitsuki!" Issei yelled as he held his left hand out towards her. **[Transfer!]**

The flame in Mitsuki's hand dramatically increased in size as she ascended and raised her arms over her head.

"Go to hell!" Mitsuki said as she tossed the flaming orb at the Wendigo. The wendigo screamed in agony as the flaming sphere hit its body. Its head was thrown back as it roared. Its flesh began to peel and crumble as its body slowly turned to ash. A white mist exited from its still open mouth and dispersed into the air as its body crumbled away.

"Whew! That was easy," Issei said as he dispelled the Balance Breaker.

"Yeah. This one wasn't mature," Ingvild said as she stared at the burning pile of ashes.

"What do we do about them?" Irina asked, looking at the cowering trio that had remained frozen to their spots.

"I got it," Ingvild said as she walked over to them. The three began to shake and hugged each other as Ingvild raised her hand. An orange magic circle appeared in front of her.

"Now sleep. You won't remember what you just saw. Your friend was mauled by a bear," Ingvild said as the campers slowly began to drift off.

"Let's go find Tohka and Mica and head home. It's almost 2 in the morning," Ingvild said.

"Yeah," Issei said. As he began to walk towards her, a communications circle appeared in front of him.

"Who is it?" Mitsuki asked, spotting the CC.

"It's… Asia," Issei said, answering it.

"Hello-!"

* * *

**Kuoh Town, 4:56 PM**

* * *

"Hey, thanks for coming over and helping me and my sister clean the house," Eren said as he carried a box down the stairs.

"It's no problem," Asia said, smiling as she dusted off the cabinet in front of her.

"Oh, Eren," Natalia said, walking out of the kitchen with two glasses of lemonade in her hand. She handed the glass to her brother and one to Asia.

"Yeah, Nee-chan?" Eren asked.

"Do you mind going to the attic and clearing out some of the boxes? Please be careful with them. Some of Kaa-san's stuff is in there," she said.

"Yeah, yeah," Eren said as he walked up the stairs.

"So Asia, where is Issei?" Natalia said, her eyes glinting dangerously in the light.

"You wouldn't try anything. Not with Eren here," Asia said, glaring at her.

"Au contraire," Natalia said, her eyes glowing.

Asia felt her body go numb at the tone of her voice. Natalia snapped her fingers and a large violet magic circle with an eye at the center appeared below them.

"Now, he can't hear whatever we do or say down here," Natalia said.

Asia shook in fear as the elder Yatogami pulled a chair from the kitchen and sat before her. Natalia crossed her legs as she looked at Asia with a small smile on her face.

"Why? Why are you doing this to my brother? To my family?" Asia asked. She backed up, hitting the wall. Her hand went behind her back.

_I'm sorry Nii-san. I'll have to interrupt your little vacation to finally put an end to this_, Asia thought as she formed a small magic circle discreetly behind her with Issei in mind.

"Why? Well, I told you why. I was sent to do this. I have other reasons as to why I might be doing this but that is another matter," Natalia said.

"Who sent you?" Asia asked.

"I'll answer your question… with another question. Why do you want to know so badly? These people. They're bad news," Natalia said.

"I want to know because once we're done here. They're next," Asia said.

"Oh? I see," Natalia said, her bangs shadowing her eyes. "Then I guess I have no choice but to do this."

Her eyes glowed violet as Asia felt her entire body freeze. Her eyes widened as she tried to speak but couldn't.

"You tried to pull a fast one on me, didn't you? Did you take into account the fact that I can sense spells being cast?" Natalia said. "I may be self-taught but that doesn't mean I didn't consider the basics such as sensing magic."

Asia gulped as she looked at Natalia, whose angelic visage became more demonic with each passing second.

"Now… tell me. Who did you call? And no lying," Natalia said, each word laced with power.

"Issei," Asia automatically said. She had no control over her mind nor her mouth.

"I see. Then, Issei Hyoudou. If you're hearing this…"

* * *

**South Dakota**

* * *

"_I have your sister. If you don't come back here within three hours, I will kill her most slowly and brutally possible. Remember, three hours_._"_

The call cut off.

Issei's eyes were wide with fear at the message he had just heard.

"Aniki, we have to- ANIKI!" Mitsuki yelled as she watched Issei disappear in a red magic circle.

"Damnit!" Mitsuki said as she formed a magic circle.

"Wait? Mitsuki, what's going on?" Irina asked, confused after watching Issei disappear.

"Asia got captured by someone! Aniki, ran off to go get her!" Mitsuki said.

"What!?" Irina yelled.

"We have to help him!" Mitsuki said as she disappeared in a green magic circle.

"What? Wait!" Irina yelled.

* * *

**Kuoh Town**

* * *

Issei appeared in Kuoh and began to run down the street.

_Don't worry, Asia. Nii-san is coming,_ Issei thought as he ran down the street towards Eren's house.

* * *

**Blacklight Dossier: Creature File 109**

**File Name: Wendigo**

**File Info: Wendigos are malevolent creatures of the cold. Only appearing in the autumn and winter seasons, Wendigos are said to be born from those who fell to their hunger and murdered their families and friends in their desperate need to survive and feasting on their corpses. Wendigos vary in size but a common characteristic no matter what stage of life the beast is in is their emaciated appearance and their extremely pale skin. Their eyes are glassy like a corpse and have rows of razor-sharp teeth that are serrated to better cut through the flesh of their prey. Wendigos are estimated to have a bite force of 60,000 tons of force per square inch. They also have talons on their hands and toes. **

**Wendigos have three stages of life: Infantile, Juvenile, and Mature. Infantile Wendigos are in no way children. They lack the experience and the power of their older counterparts but are still capable of ripping a grown man in half. Juvenile Wendigos is much more dangerous. Possessing more hunting expertise than an expert human hunter, these beings are capable of stalking their prey with the grace of a cheetah. Juveniles are also much larger, standing at 10 meters in height. Mature Wendigos are the most dangerous, being able to level or clear out entire cities in their wake. A Mature Wendigo is capable of flight as well as controlling the temperature to blend in. These wendigos stand at 20 meters in height, making them much taller than even a Tyrannosaurus.**

**Prey: Humans (Primarily), Virtually any other being (Does not hesitate to attack Gods despite the vast difference in power)**

**Weaknesses: Fire, Sunlight, Intense Trauma to their head**

**Notes:**

**Lisa Emrys-D'Arc: The milkiness of their eyes might suggest blindness but further research shows that Wendigo can see using infrared vision.**

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Uday Sra: Thanks.**

**Scrumblenut: Hmm, it seems that it was obvious, considering the blonde hair and the fire. As for how she got control of them despite not being around most of them twenty-four seven other than Rias and Akeno, considering that she teaches at the University, it will be revealed next chapter.**

**AnimeFan0216: They're... well, I'm gonna save that for another chapter. There's more to Natalia and Eren than I've shown so far.**

**Anyway, in the next chapter, we will finally have Issei confront the person who ruined his relationship or as a lot of you saw, forced to ruin his relationship. Will Issei be able to save Asia? Anyway, have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!**


	12. Confrontations and a New Foe

**New chapter guys! So in the last chapter, Asia was kidnapped. Now we get to see what happens to her in this chapter! Some of you in previous chapters have wondered who Natalia and Eren's father is and his identity. Fufufu.**

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Kuoh Town, October 31, 2019, 5:26 PM; Current Time: 4 Minutes and 50 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Issei ran down the street, fear coursing through his entire body. Images of Asia dying replayed themselves inside of his head over and over again like some sick form of torture. The memories of her death at the hands of Raynare and of her suffering at the hands of that bastard, Diodora Astaroth, came to the forefront of his mind as a black and green shroud of energy began to envelop his entire form.

"_I'm sorry I was late like last time," Issei said, wrapping Asia in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry."_

_Asia smiled in Issei's embrace and wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay. I knew you would come. Ever since you and your family took me in and treated me as your own, I never doubted for a second that you wouldn't come and save me. Let's make more happy memories together, Nii-san!" Asia said._

"Please not again," Issei prayed as he turned down the street. He slowed down and stopped outside of the house of his sister's boyfriend. His knees buckled when he felt it. That overwhelming amount of demonic power. How had no one noticed it? No, it was always there. Hiding.

Steeling himself, Issei walked up to the house and forced open the gate. He knocked on the door and was unsurprised when the door opened on the first knock.

There he saw her, Asia, was sitting in a chair with Eren's older sister sitting in a chair across from her sipping tea.

"You got here much quicker than I ever expected," Natalia said, setting her teacup down. Her eyes trailed over to Issei, who had his fist clenched and was shaking with rage.

"Give me back my sister," Issei said.

"Oh, I will. And don't worry, she isn't hurt," Natalia said, raising her hand. Asia stood in response and looked at Issei.

"It's going to be okay, Asia. I'm here," Issei said. He turned to Natalia. "Let her go. I'm here now like you wanted."

Natalia nodded and released her hold on Asia. Asia felt her control return to her and immediately ran towards Issei. A smile made its way to Natalia's face as she raised her finger and Asia was sent flying out of the house.

"Asia!" Issei whirled around and saw Asia sitting up on the grass, holding her head. "You bitch!"

Issei ran towards Natalia and raised his fist back to punch her in the face. Natalia raised her hand and Issei froze mid-sprint. He struggled to move against her but her hold was too strong. Natalia swung her arm and Issei was sent flying and pinned to the wall. She looked at the door and saw Asia running towards it. She sighed and the door slammed shut, locking immediately upon being closed.

* * *

"Now, Issei," Natalia said, walking up to a pinned Issei. "Let's talk."

"Nii-san!" Asia screamed, banging her fists on the door. "No… this isn't going as we planned. I didn't expect her to be this strong."

Asia formed a CC and scrolled until she found the contact she wanted.

"Come on! Pick up! Pick up!" Asia urged.

"Asia!" she turned around and saw Mitsuki running up to her.

"Nee-san!" Asia ran up to Mitsuki and wrapped her in a hug.

"Where's Aniki?" she asked.

"Inside with Eren's sister," Asia said. Mitsuki looked at the house with narrowed eyes as she raised her hand. A violet magic circle appeared in front of her.

"Stand back," Mitsuki said as she began to charge and focus the energy through the circle. A beam of violet energy erupted from the circle and rocketed towards the house only to be dispersed by a barrier.

"A barrier?" Asia gasped as she saw the air in front of the door ripple.

"_Asia?_" The two turned to see a red CC floating behind them.

"Right! Sirzechs-sama! I need you and Azazel-sama to come over to my energy signature immediately! I need help! And bring Azrael-sama too!" Asia said over the CC.

"_What? What's going on-!_"

"I found the culprit and they have Nii-san!" Asia screamed.

"_What? Culprit? For?"_

"The one who cast mind magic on Rias-oneesama and the others!"

"_I'll be there right away. Let me get Azazel and Azrael and we'll head over to your location," _Sirzechs said before cutting the link.

* * *

Eren sat in the attic of his house, blissfully unaware of the commotion happening right below him. He sighed as he swatted a few cobwebs out of the way, sifting through the old boxes of books and journals that their mother had left them when she died. He missed her, even though he was too young to remember what her voice sounded like but the warmth was the one thing he remembered from her.

"I guess I'm lucky that a photo and all this even survived that fire," Eren said as he looked through them. His eyes grew wide when he saw a small black book in the box.

"Diary of Seilah Naamah?" Eren read as he looked at the book. The title was written in a strange foreign script that Eren did not recognize but could read perfectly.

"Was Naamah Kaa-san's maiden name or something?" Eren asked himself as he opened it.

"_November 14, 1456?_" Eren read. His face adopted a confused look. _1456? Umm, what the…? I guess I'll read more to find out…_

"_Dear Diary,_

_Mother insisted that I start keeping a record of my thoughts just in case. In case of what, I have no clue but Mother's instinct never sent us to peril before. Father states that as the heiress of the Clan that served Princess Lilith that the responsibility of freeing the clan from the cursed grasp of the Usurper and False Lucifer, Satanachia and his spawn Rizevim would fall onto me when they died. It is depressing but unfortunately, this is the world we currently reside in. On a more positive note, Zechs, Anna, and Aju never found me when we played Hide and Seek! Oh right, I never said who they are. Zechs and Anna or Sirzechs and Annalise Gremory are twins. Aju is Ajuka Astaroth. Zechs and Aju are besties but me and Anna are super besties and that makes us better than Zechs and Aju! Now, where were we? Oh right! Never again shall they doubt the ability of a Naamah to hide from anyone ever again!"_

Eren placed the book down.

_Satanachia? False Lucifer? What's going on?_ He thought as he flipped to another page.

"_February 14, 1478,_

_Oh my, Lucifer! He- He got me something for that human holiday named after that Saint! What should I do!? What do I get him!? I need to ask Zechs what Aju likes! Oh, dear… Maybe I should-!"_

"Okay, next page," Eren said, flipping to another page. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The date at the top was blotched out to the point where he could barely make out the words and numbers.

"September 9… 15...02?" Eren read.

"_How could he? I know that Grayfia meant a lot to him and the loss of Annalise was the edge of it but to slaughter even children. Ze- Sirzechs, why? Why did you slaughter my clan? You knew we were forced to… and even after, you still did it. My parents. My brothers. My cousins. They're all dead. Me and a few others are all that's left of our family. I have to take up the position as Lady Naamah now. Ajuka just met up with me several hours ago. This war… it's torn us all apart. Sirzechs won't even talk to me anymore and I don't want to talk to him. I thought he would understand. I guess that pact we made to always look out for each other was all for naught."_

"This Sirzechs guy killed Kaa-san's family?" Eren said. "Wait… Sirzechs… could that be the same Sirzechs that's Rias-senpai's brother?"

Eren flipped to another page.

"_January 12, 1508,_

_The War ended. But, I'm alone now. Rizevim and the other Satans forced the remaining members of my family into defending them when the Anti-Satan Faction assaulted Lucifaad. I saw… Ajuka there. And Serafall, Sirzechs, Falbium, they all killed them. Every member of my clan except for me. Ajuka couldn't kill me. He let me go. Told me to run so the others can't find me. Even after the years, we spent on opposite sides, he still cares about me. He said that… he loves me. This might be the last time I write to you. I'm going to run from the Underworld and travel. To clear my mind. Maybe I'll find the peace I desperately need to soothe the death of my family. Mom. Dad. If you can hear me, wherever you are, I'm sorry. I'm a horrible Family Head. It was because I wasn't strong enough to defect that our family died. They died at the hands of the Anti-Satan Faction because of me. I guess this is it now. Goodbye."_

"That can't be the end," Eren said, holding the book in front of him. "There's still a shit ton of pages left."

Eren flipped to the next page and saw an entry with a much more recent date.

"This one is from 1996. That's a year before Nee-san was born," Eren mused as he began to read.

"_July 1, 1996,_

_Heh, I don't know where to begin. It's been so long since I've written in this dusty old thing that I can hardly recognize it. Four-hundred years I think. Well, to summarize the things that have happened to me over the past four centuries I'll start with what happened after I left the Gehenna. I ran and didn't look back. I lived in Italy for a while. Soaked up the Renaissance while it lasted and worked as a handmaiden for Lisa Gherardini. She was nice. After that, I moved to England. Let me tell you. 1500s England is one of the most depressing places on the planet. Never in my life could I imagine a man going through six wives. The man executed two of them. Anyway, I lived there for a century under different names before I tried my luck and headed on a boat to the new world. I ran into a couple of Devils from different families and passed myself off as a member of the Bael Family. Ajuka, the smart ass, invented something called Evil Pieces as a way to replenish the Devil population since the loss of several clans including my own diminished our numbers even further. I even saw Lord Gremory once. He got a guy named Mathers or something. Apparently, he's a talented wizard of some sort. Anyway, when I got to the New World, I moved as far west as I could. Ran into a couple of Gods along the way. They let me live in peace so long as I didn't bother their people or the other gods and I agreed on the terms that they do the same. They also have the support of some sort of secret organization. Black Sun, I think? Anyway, life out in the boonies was boring. Monotonous. I saw Cain and Avan once. The two haven't been sighted since the Great War. They have three kids, one boy, and two girls. The boy's name is Kenan but I just call him Ken. He looks like Avan with the red hair and sparkling blue eyes. They have another daughter named Astar but we just call her Ast. Cain told me that they named her after Lady Lucifer, who was often called Astar which meant Star of Morning. And then we have the youngest, Selene. Avan wanted to name her after the Titaness with whom she was close friends with. Anyway, I'm rambling but last I heard, Ken is in Australia and Selene is in Greece. Ast just dropped off the map a few years back. _

_After spending the next three hundred years in the US, I got my degrees when women were allowed to go to college and I got a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics, Microbiology, Philosophy, Human Physiology, and Psychology. That last one was for irony. I moved to where I currently live last year. I live in Fujinomiya, Japan now. It's a nice town near the base of Mount Fuji and that's where I saw him again. Ajuka. Love never dies even after centuries apart. We met. We dated after a few months and we just couldn't hold it anymore. Ajuka and I got married a few months ago but we're keeping our marriage a secret until he's certain that it's safe for us to return to Gehenna together as a family. Until then, our little bundle of joy will have to wait. We named her Natalia. I personally liked the name but Ajuka's reasons for liking it were weird. I guess it's because she has the same name as Black Widow. Until then, I'll write when I have more time. Being a mother will keep me busy for a while."_

Eren smiled. Now, he had a name for his father. Ajuka. He kept reading his mother's entries and kept smiling at how much love his mother had for the man. How hard the man worked between his position, as he learned was being Maou Beelzebub, and being a family man, of course, he never could see his own children but watched them from afar. It made Eren admire the lengths the man went to protect them.

"Oh. This is a few months after I was born," Eren said as he read it.

"_October 24, 2001,_

_Our son. He's the most precious gift our family has been granted since Natalia was born. We named Eren. Kind of ironic to name a devil child Eren. It means Saint. I recently changed my last name too. Yatogami. It means Night God's Sword. So on our marriage certificate, it says Saya and Ajio Yatogami. One day, our little boy will be as powerful as his father and his mother."_

"I wish you were here when she passed Tou-san," Eren said. "Maybe then, Nee-san wouldn't be so burdened with me."

He flipped through a few more pages until he found one that intrigued him.

"_Dumb Church bastards. I've never had any problems with the Jewish or Islamic communities and they all worship the same guy. It's always the Church. The dumb bastard tried to kill my baby boy. Good thing Ajuka was around and killed him. I had to wipe Eren's memory of the incident but I got something out of it. Before the man died, Ajuka did the world a favor by ripping out his Sacred Gear. Something he learned from Azazel apparently. Goes to show that the Three Factions can one day come together I guess. We transferred the Gear to our son and sealed it in hopes that he would one day be able to use it. I could have given it to Natalia but she has her own gifts. The powers of both the Naamah Family and the Astaroth Family run strongly within her. One day, she might inherit her father's title of Beelzebub."_

"Nee-san being Beelzebub? Unlikely," Eren said. "She's too much of a slacker. It's a miracle she graduated high school and got through grad school as fast as she did."

As Eren read through the journal and learned more about the father he never knew, a thought came to his mind.

"I wonder what Kaa-chan's last entry was," Eren said as he flipped to the most recent entry he could find.

"_December 1, 2006_," Eren looked through the contents of the diary entry and his eyes widened.

* * *

"I have nothing to talk to you about," Issei growled as Natalia looked at him with a smile.

"On the contrary, I have much to discuss with you. Don't you want to know why I targeted your lovers instead of your family members or you in general?" she asked.

Issei went silent as her words sank into his head.

"Hmph, I thought so. Now that you're here. I want to tell you a little story. The story is about a girl," Natalia said.

"Is this girl you?" he asked sarcastically. His entire abdomen erupted in pain as Natalia slammed her fist into his stomach.

"Shh, all questions will be answered after this," Natalia said as she leaned in close to his face. "Where was I? Oh yes, the girl. You see this girl lived happily with her mother and her little brother and was watched over by a father who was a king. One day, the girl's mother told her to take her brother and run because bad people were after them. These bad people tried to kill the girl and her brother because their leader, the best friend of the girl's father, ordered them to. The girl's mother did not want to see her children die so she sacrificed herself to save them, trapping the assassins and herself as the house was engulfed in flames.

"The girl and the boy went through foster care, ending up in one family after another but in the end, all they had was each other. The girl learned that she inherited the powers of her beloved mother and her absentee father, who she lost faith in. The power to influence the mind and the power to shape the forces that govern the physical phenomenon of the Universe. She trained in these powers as best she could without a teacher while taking care of her brother, being both a mother and a sister at the same time. All thoughts of revenge against the man who sent those thugs who killed her mother were unimportant and discarded in favor of raising him in to be the best person he could be. The girl worked hard, skipped several grades and graduated at the age of 14. Then, she went to university and graduated in two years, taking no winters or summers off. She then went and got her Master's degree all while sending her brother to school and working a job.

"Then one day, the girl was approached by a man with yellow eyes," Natalia said in a tone that sent chills down Issei's spine. "The man offered the girl a deal and the girl refused. The man then went on to threaten the girl's brother and the girl fought back. However, the man held power beyond what the girl was capable of and was easily defeated. The man then went on to offer the girl the deal once more. All the girl had to do was to trigger the first Special Child by whatever means necessary, no matter how cruel, and after that, she had to deliver him to the man. And get this, the man promised to resurrect her mother as a bonus if she performed her duty. With her brother's life in peril and the hope against all hope that the man would hold his end and bring her mother back, the girl accepted, not that she had much of a choice anyway and this brings us to now," Natalia said as she sat down.

Issei couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mind couldn't grasp nor comprehend what he was just told.

"_Ddraig? Was she lying? Tell me that she's lying!"_ Issei asked.

**[I wish I could but her story, it's sincere. She's not lying]** Ddraig said.

"Why? Why are you telling me this?" Issei asked.

"Because I got tired of it. The constant threats to my life. The constant threats to my brother's. Of the terrible acts I had to commit to get you to where you are. I know they're not going to bring Kaa-san back but I would rather burn in hell than watch my brother die," Natalia said. "So when I learned that you were the Sekiryuutei, I placed my hopes on the chance that you'll be able to beat them. And with that, I'm prepared to offer you a deal. I'll let you go but you have to promise me that no matter what happens in the following moments, that you protect Eren. Keep him alive. Protect him as you would your sisters."

Issei was shocked at her offer. He closed his eyes and shook in anger. He gritted his teeth as he began to yell at her.

"AND WHY SHOULD I!? YOU RUINED MY LIFE! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPY! TO FINALLY BE FREE OF THIS! TO HAVE PEACE! WHY!? WHY RUIN WHAT I HAD!?" Issei yelled, spittle flying into Natalia's face.

"Because, of all the things I could have done, this was the one you would have recovered from," Natalia said. "Would I rather I torture and kill your family? Or maybe something even worse happening to your sisters?"

Issei went silent at her words. She was right. Of all the things she did, this one was one Issei could recover from given time but the others, they would have sent Issei into a place he could never come back from. He could already imagine the devastation he would have wrought on everyone, even those that had nothing to do with what would happen if such an event were to take place just to spite the entire world for taking his family from him.

"I know that you hate me for what I did but… please, from one older sibling to another, protect my brother. And besides, if you were in my position, what would you have done?" she asked.

Issei kept his mouth shut as the full weight of her question slammed into his mind.

_What would I have done if I were in her situation?_ Issei thought.

"Well?" Natalia asked.

"I… I'll do it but how do I know you'll let me go and not just hand me over?" Issei asked. His answer came in the form of being able to move again. Natalia's telekinetic grip had vanished and Issei rubbed his sore wrists. He looked at her and saw that she was looking at the ceiling.

"Eren is in the attic. Go get him and run. Take him to our father," Natalia said.

"Father?" Issei asked.

"You know him. Ajuka Beelzebub," she said as she began to walk into the kitchen. Issei's eyes widened at her answer.

_She's… his daughter?_ Issei thought as she looked at her retreating figure.

"What about you? What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Buy you some time. They were watching us," Natalia replied. She turned to Issei and gave him a small smile. "Now go."

Issei nodded and ran up the stairs. As he did, he saw Eren climbing down from the attic

"Issei! Oh my God! Ow! Forgot that happens when I say it… you'll never believe this! I've been a-!" Eren said but was cut off as Issei grabbed his shoulders.

"A Devil this whole time, I know, but we have no time. We have to get out of here," Issei said.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Eren said, his face becoming serious.

"I don't have time to explain. Just trust me. And don't worry about your sister, she said she'll be right behind us," Issei said, sprinting past Eren towards a window.

"Okay…," Eren said as he ran after him.

* * *

"You're a traitor," the woman said as she appeared inside of the Yatogami Household. She flicked one of her blonde curls out of the way as she looked at Natalia, who sat with her back facing her.

"It was only a matter of time when I decided that being forced to work for Beelzebub and Leviathan wasn't worth it anymore, Phenex. Learning that my target was the Red Dragon helped in that regard," Natalia curtly replied.

"You're a disgrace to your family name," Phenex spat as flames began to manifest around her.

"I'm as much of a disgrace to my name as you are intimidating. You don't scare me you hag," Natalia said, standing up as a violet aura surrounded her.

"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to let you burn to death for what you've done," Phenex said as her flaming wings manifested.

"You're welcome to try," Natalia said as she fired a telekinetic blast at Phenex, sending the Demon flying out of the house.

"Nii-san!"

"Aniki!"

Issei and Eren turned as they saw Asia and Mitsuki running towards them. Irina, who was at the door with Ingvild, Tohka, and Mica slamming their shoulders against it, turned around to see Issei and Eren with Asia and Mitsuki.

"We need to get out of here now!" Issei said.

"Where to?" Mitsuki asked.

"Anywhere but here because in a few seconds this entire block is about to become a-!"

**BOOOOM!**

Everyone turned to see a woman with blonde hair being thrown through the ceiling of the house.

Phenex caught herself in mid-air as a pair of massive flaming wings sprung from her back. Her golden eyes were wreathed in golden flames as she looked down at Natalia, who was floating in mid-air with a pair of bat-like feathered wings.

"INSOLENT CHILD!" Phenex roared in rage as she was surrounded by an aura of golden flames. She took off towards Natalia, who raised her arms in anticipation of an attack. A violet shield manifested in front of Natalia as Phenex summoned several flaming spears and fired it at her. The spears collided with the barrier, shaking the entirety of Kuoh.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, Earlier**

* * *

"Issei…," Rias said, staring at a picture of them while they were in Kyoto. She ran her fingers up and down the image of his face as tears began to fall onto the picture. Rias cursed whoever did this to her. They had taken her heart and her happiness from her and ripped it to shreds and now the one man she had given her love to was under the impression that she had willingly cheated on him with Tatsuya.

Tatsuya. The man, while he was still nice, was letting the power of his Sacred Gear get to his head. She needed to nip that arrogance in the bud before it got out of control. If it did, the only thing she was going to have was trouble in the future. She clenched her fist.

_Tatsuya could never amount to Issei. I mean, even with mind magic, my choice was… bland_, Rias thought as she sat on the bed.

"Rias-sama?" Akeno's voice echoed through the hallway.

"In here, Akeno," Rias said as she placed the photo down on Issei's bedside table.

"You can't keep hiding in here," Akeno said as she opened the door.

"What do you want, Akeno? I came out of the room yesterday and helped them train," Rias said, looking at Akeno with dull eyes.

"Stop this. Did you think you're the only one affected by what we did to Issei? When he disappeared thinking we did the worst thing we could do with his love and trust!? Have you noticed how the others have been at all!? NO WONDER YOU FELL TO THE MAGIC HARDER THAN MOST OF US! YOU'RE TOO SELF-ABSORBED!" Akeno screamed.

"What did you say to me? SAY THAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU, YOU NEPHILIM BI-!" Rias's face snapped to the side as her eyes widened in pain. Her hand went up to her cheek, rubbing the spot where Akeno had just slapped her.

"Koneko… she's depressed," Akeno said. "I found her with razor blades in her room and had to confiscate them."

Rias's eyes widened at her statement and was about to say something when Akeno continued.

"Ravel, despite the high and mighty act she's been putting on, has been running herself ragged and using her family's wealth the scour Gehenna, Tzalmavet, and Earth for Issei," Akeno said.

"Xenovia has been asking everyone she could for Issei. Murayama. Katase. The members of the Perverted Trio. She even took on all of Issei's contracts to try and get a clue of where he could have run off to," Akeno said.

"And I don't even want to get started on Rossweisse, Kiba, Asia, and Gasper. The first three won't even talk to us outside of official business and Gasper, even though he's too kind to hurt our feelings, I can feel the resentment coming from him every time I talk to him. And me? I've been struggling with holding myself together. It's only a matter of time before our parents find out and when my father discovers this, I can kiss my last name goodbye," Akeno said.

"Akeno…," Rias said.

"Now, snap out of it and pull yourself together! Sirzechs-sama is downstairs to check on us," Akeno said.

Rias nodded mutely as she got off Issei's bed and began to make her way to the door. As she reached to open it, her entire body froze. Power. Immense Power coming north of their direction.

"We need to tell Nii-sama what we just felt," Rias said as she dashed out of the room.

"Nii-sama!" Rias said as she ran down the stairs. She saw Sirzechs standing in the middle of the room, stiffer than Rias have ever seen him. A bead of sweat ran down Sirzechs' face as guilt marred his very facial features.

"Seilah…," Sirzechs whispered as a tear fell down his face.

"Nii-sama?" Rias asked, worried.

"Rias?" Sirzechs said, turning to her and wiping his eyes.

"Nii-sama, we felt two very powerful demonic energy signatures north of the house!" Rias reported.

"I know," Sirzechs said. "Take your peerage and head there immediately. I'll contact Ajuka and Azazel and we'll meet you there."

Rias nodded and ran, leaving Sirzechs in his thoughts.

"Seilah… today, I'll finally make up for what I did. Even if I have to get on my hands and knees and beg," Sirzechs said.

"Everyone!" Rias yelled as she ran into the training area. The occupants stopped their training to look at her.

"Well… everyone except for you boys, we're needed. There's a disturbance north of our location and we're being sent to check out what's going on," Rias said. "NOW MOVE!"

Kiba, Gasper, Rossweisse, Koneko, and Xenovia nodded as they all ran past her and up the stairs. Tatsuya, Hiruko, and Yuu all went to follow but were stopped when Rias held her hand out.

"I specifically said for the three of you to stay and you will stay," Rias said.

"But Rias-chan, we could help-!" Tatsuya was cut off as he was forced to his knee by the pressure of Rias's demonic aura.

"I've told you not to call me that. My feelings were the product of mind magic and were never real. You're here as a prospect. Now, stay here. If we bring you with us, you'll just be a liability. Wait till you get much stronger," Rias said as she turned and climbed up the stairs.

Tatsuya watched her retreating form and looked down. He raised his right arm and watched a blue glove manifest in his hand and clenched his fist. He was going to get stronger. He was going to prove to Rias that what he felt was real.

_And I'm going to be damned if I let anyone stand in the way of that_, Tatsuya thought.

Unbeknownst to him, the two other boys were all having the same thoughts.

* * *

"Eren, Asia, go! We'll get Natalia and come back with her!" Issei said as he summoned the **[Boosted Gear]**.

"But I can help!" Eren said, summoning **Purgatory Blossom**.

"Eren, it's too dangerous! That woman your sister is fighting. She's one of the people your sister told me about while I was in the house with her," Issei said.

"People?" Eren asked.

"Your sister has known you two were devils this entire time," he said.

"B- But why didn't she…?" Eren asked.

"You can ask her later but just know that your sister has been under duress for the entirety of your time here in Kuoh," Issei said. "Now go! We'll get her back I swear!"

"But we can help too, Nii-san can summon Fafnir to take care of this!" Asia said.

"No!" Tohka said as she began to levitate. "The last thing we need is collateral! You two get somewhere safe and call us when the Maou get here!"

"Listen to Tohka, Asia!" Irina said as she summoned Hautclere.

Asia gritted her teeth and looked at her brother and sister, who were already in the air. She closed her eyes and groaned in frustration before grabbing Eren's hand and ran.

As soon as Tohka deemed that they were far, she looked at Ingvild, who nodded and the two slammed their palms into the ground.

A massive shimmering blue barrier was erected around the entire block. Mica raised his palm towards the sky and the moonlight slammed down on the barrier reinforcing it.

Natalia grunted as she held off an assault from Phenex, who rained down countless blasts of fire from the sky. Her barriers weren't going to hold forever and Luxuria wasn't going to work on her. She was far more powerful than Natalia. The only hope she had was using it.

Natalia thrust her hand forward.

"**Decree of Annihilation!**" Natalia shouted as a black sphere manifested in front of her and swallowed all of Phenex's flaming spears.

Phenex narrowed her eyes.

_That's the Astaroth Clan Power, Tetralogy. To think she could use it… unless she also has Astaroth blood running through her. The power to influence the mind and the power of the Four Fundamental Forces, this girl is dangerous,_ Phenex said as she charged an extremely dense ball of fire.

"That's surprising. Tetralogy, huh?" Phenex said as she readied to fire the sphere at Natalia.

"Tch!" Natalia glared at her opponent and her eyes widened when she saw a shadow appear behind her.

Irina appeared behind the Original Phenex and slashed her back with Hauteclere, catching the demon off guard, causing her to scream in pain as the holy weapon cut into her back.

Phenex turned to Irina with a furious look in her eyes.

"Angel Bitch!" she lunged at Irina, grabbing her throat and began to choke her. "I'll enjoy ripping your wings off, you filthy Ophanim!"

"Irina! Move!"

Irina's eyes widened as she teleported out of the way. Phenex turned around and saw a massive violet beam of light approaching her.

"Take this Teriyaki! **Moonshadow Beam!**" Mitsuki yelled.

Phenex raised her arms and took the attack. The attack traveled to the barrier, impacting it. A massive blue wave ripped across the sky as the barrier contained the blast.

"What are you doing here!?" Natalia yelled as she saw them hovering before her.

"Helping you. You're not getting out of this that easily. If you want to answer and make up for what you did, you might as well start by staying alive," Issei said as he flew next to her. "And besides, I can't fault you for doing what you did."

"If we were in your position, we would have done worse than breaking someone's relationship which by the way is one of the most horrible things you could do," Mitsuki said, turning around. "But Aniki told me of your circumstances and I can understand why you did it, even if I don't agree with it."

"Focus! She's still here," Irina said as she tightened her grip around Hauteclere.

The smoke cleared to reveal Phenex, whose entire right half and legs had been vaporized by the blast. The devil progenitor gritted her teeth as she growled in anger. A blast of black and orange smoke erupted from her wounds and began to take the shape of her limbs and missing half.

"I'll kill you for that," Phenex said as she floated over to them.

"I guess I have no choice then," Natalia said. "Stand back."

"What are you going to do?" Irina asked as the elder Yatogami hovered in front of them.

"Oh?" Phenex looked on intrigued by what she was seeing.

"Powerful Devils are rumored to be able to access this form but the art of achieving it was lost with the death of Satanachia's, Leviathan's, Beelzebub's, Asmodeus's, and my families. The Belphegor Family and Mammon Family might still know the achieving it but if they do, they hid it out of spite of having their royal status removed. You know what form I'm talking about Phenex?" Natalia said as she began to power up.

"Impossible. No Devil of the current era can take this form. Not even Satanachia's son, a Super Devil, can assume this form!" Phenex said.

"What form is she talking about?" Issei asked as he watched Natalia.

"HAAAAH!" Natalia's violet aura erupted violently as she was enshrouded inside it. Her power rose and Irina, Issei, and Mitsuki were all pushed back by the intense winds that were being generated by her power. Thunder and lightning crackled in the sky as rain began to fall around them.

"Ingvild, what's going on?" Tohka asked as she watched the violet pillar of light in the sky.

"I think she's entering the Qliphoth Mode," she said. "Auntie Dana said that only powerful devils can enter it but the art was lost to time after the Civil War with the death of the Naamah Clan."

"It seems Dantalion was wrong… for once thankfully," Mica said as he maintained the barrier.

"HAAAH!"

The light exploded outward, leveling the house below them. All the streetlights exploded as the air began to ionize and spark around them.

**[So this is the fabled Qliphoth Mode that Albion and I have heard of so much. A power that allows one to transcend the limits of a demon.]** Ddraig said.

"_Like a Super Devil?_" Issei asked.

**[Yes, except, if let's say the Original Asmodeus were to assume her Qliphoth Mode, from the rumors, she would be far stronger than Sirzechs at his full power. This power turns them into conceptual beings, living embodiments to put it into simpler terms. That's all I know as I admit, this is the first time I'm seeing it myself.]** Ddraig said.

"She's done," Issei said as the light died down. The violet aura that covered her began to crack and break off as Natalia's new form was revealed. A violet fox tail swished around behind her. Her arms were covered in black miasmic energy. Her hair moved as if they had lives of their own. On top of her head, a pair of curved green segmented horns. Natalia slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of eerie violet eyes.

"**Qliphoth Mode: Nehemoth**," Natalia said.

"Tch! Those eyes. Those horns! You look almost exactly like the spitting image of Naamah herself!" Phenex said as she hovered in front of her. "Except, there are hints of the Astaroth that became the current Beelzebub. I'm curious… can you use the Qliphoth Mode that the Astaroth Family is associated with?"

"Her power…," Mitsuki said, landing on the ground. "She's almost as strong as Serafall and Grayfia."

"To think that this pushed her power to such heights," Issei said, landing next to his sister.

* * *

Rias and her peerage flew and froze when they felt a pulse of power wash over her and her entire peerage.

"That power…," Koneko said as she looked at the violet light in the sky.

"It's massive," Rossweisse said.

Rias and Akeno looked at the light as they hovered in mid-air.

"Rias-oneesama!" a voice called out.

"It's Asia," Kiba said.

"Eren too," Xenovia added as she saw the blonde and black haired duo running towards them.

"Asia! What happened!?" Rias said as she landed in front of them.

"Eren's sister… forced… break up!" Asia gasped out.

"What?" Akeno asked.

"My sister. I learned that we're members of the Naamah Family. Onee-san… she was forced to… forced to tear apart your relationship with Issei-san in order to keep me safe," Eren said.

"What!? BY WHO!?" Rias barked.

"The one they're fighting," Asia said.

"Then we have no time to waste," a voice behind Rias said.

"You're my...?" Eren said as his eyes widened at the new arrival.

* * *

"**Kneel!**" Natalia said. An invisible force slammed down on Phenex, taking control of her body and forcing her to land and kneel.

"W- What? Her Luxuria… no, this is no longer Luxuria. The Yetzer Hara… she learned this too?" Phenex said as she forced her head to look up at Natalia with all of her willpower.

"This is the power passed down to me by my mother and her family. The power of the Black Hand of Lilith. The Demon whose name is feared by the Gods themselves so much that she is whispered for fear that her name will cause their demise when the night comes," Natalia said. "Now die as I reduce you to a pile of bone and necrotized flesh."

She raised her hand and fired a gray beam of energy at Phenex. The demon could do nothing but scream in pain as the beam hit her with full strength.

"W… What is this!?" Phenex rasped out as she saw her flesh begin to decay and rot at a rapid rate.

"Right now, I just hit you with a dose of 160 grays of radiation. That's twice as many grays as the Elephant's Foot in Chernobyl," Natalia said. "Essentially, I have hit you with an extremely exaggerated dose to induce extreme acute radiation poisoning. The radiation will begin to lyse your cells and DNA, inducing necrosis as you can see as well as placing you under a great deal of pain. If you were human, then you would have been dead by now but even for a devil, this dose is potentially fatal."

"To think that you… of all people would defeat me… curse you!" Phenex said as her hand fell off.

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki watched in morbid fascination as Phenex practically melted into a pile of bones and flesh in front of them.

Natalia landed in front of Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki and looked at them, causing the three to tense up. Natalia smiled and let out a sigh, releasing her form. After doing so, she fell to her knee, panting heavily.

"That form takes a lot out of me," Natalia said, as sweat fell off her chin.

"No kidding," Issei said as he helped her up.

"Nee-san!"

"Eren?" Natalia said as she squinted in the direction of the sound of the voice. She saw Eren running up with Asia and the Gremory Peerage in tow.

"Hmmph," Issei said, cracking a grin. "That kid."

"Issei?" Issei's grin vanished when he saw Rias walking up to him. Her hands shakily reached out to touch his face. Issei flinched and took a small step away from her.

"Issei? Why?" Rias asked as she moved towards him.

"Let's talk later," Issei said before looking at Natalia. She gave him a small nod, indicating that she could walk.

Issei let go of Natalia and the elder sister was forced to take a step back as Eren hugged her.

"You're okay," Eren said.

"Ara ara. Is Eren-chan worried about his Onee-chan?" Natalia teased, looking down at her brother.

"Natalia?" Natalia froze when she heard that voice.

"You're…," Natalia said, letting go of Eren.

"Natalia, you look so much like your mother," the man said as his green hair blew in the breeze.

"Ajuka Beelzebub-sama," Mitsuki said.

"Chichi-ue," Natalia said.

"EEEHHHHHH!?" Irina, Asia, and Mitsuki's eyes widened as they looked back and forth between the two. The similarities were becoming more and more uncanny between Eren, Natalia, and Ajuka. Those sharp eyes that were possessed by the Maou Beelzebub were possessed by his children.

"I did not see that coming," Tohka said as she lowered the barrier.

"Me neither," Mica replied. Ingvild could only nod as they watched the father-daughter duo confront each other.

"Where were you…?" Natalia whispered.

"Nat," Ajuka said.

Sirzechs and Azazel arrived in time to see Ajuka standing in front of Eren and Natalia. Natalia's eyes were covered by her bangs but her tears could be seen streaming down her face.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU WHEN KAA-SAN DIED!?" Natalia demanded, walking up and slamming her fist into her father's gut. Ajuka coughed and fell to his knee, looking up at his daughter's angry glowing eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't make it in time to save her," Ajuka said.

"No amount of sorry is going to bring her back," Natalia said, her glare never leaving her face. Her eyes finally noticed the mop of red hair belonging to a tall male figure that stood watching them. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

"You…," Natalia growled. "I know your face. My mother described it in her journals. You're the one that slaughtered my mother's family and sent assassins to kill her."

Eren became confused while everyone's eyes, except for Issei's, widened exponentially.

"Sirzechs, you sent assassins to kill… Seilah?" Ajuka said.

"What!? I would never-!"

"Then why did they say that it was you who sent them!?" Natalia said, walking up to him.

"This is getting intense," Issei whispered.

Irina could only nod in response as she watched them.

"Nee-san, it wasn't him," Eren said.

"What do you mean? They even bore the magic circle of the Maou Lucifer," Natalia said, whirling around to face her brother.

"I read her journal… Kaa-san's. Um, Lucifer-sama right?" Eren said, walking up to him. Eren pulled a black journal from his jacket. "She forgave you in her last entry."

Natalia grabbed the book and read the last entry from her mother aloud.

"_This… I knew that it was only a matter of when. My leaving during the final battle must have pissed him off but Rizevim sent men. I dispatched a few of them earlier today but there'll be more. A rogue Super Devil that's not affiliated with him or Gehenna. I'm too much of a wild card and that's why… if it all goes down, I need to keep them safe even at the cost of my life. Sirzechs, if by some miracle, this makes it to Ajuka and you two read this… I forgive you. Ajuka… please take care of our children._

_For what may be the last time, Seilah Naamah."_

"Kaa-san," Natalia said.

"Seilah," Ajuka closed his eyes and let a few tears slip out. "Rizevim is dead. You can rest now."

"Lucifer-sama," Natalia said. "I'm deeply sorry… for believing all these years that you were responsible for my mother's death."

"Seilah… I mean Natalia," Sirzechs said. "It's alright."

"Wait, so who was the one manipulating the ORC?" Azazel asked.

"It… was me," Natalia said.

"YOU!" Rias stormed up to the girl while the other affected female members began to glare at her while releasing their powers. Rias grabbed the collar of her sweater and pulled her closer. "YOU RUINED MY LIFE! MY HAPPY RELATIONSHIP! MY FUTURE!"

"Natalia," Ajuka looked down at his daughter.

"I had no choice," she said. "It was either I do it or watch them kill Eren slowly. You can ask your brother what it's like to lose a member of your family and the lengths one can go to to protect your family."

"Sirzechs," Ajuka said.

"I never got over it you know," Sirzechs said.

"Let's calm down and talk about this inside the house," Eren said, getting in between Rias and Natalia.

As they conversed, the necrotized mass of flesh that was Phenex began to writhe and reform. An arm reformed and then her torso and head. The mass writhed and rose as steam evaporated from its body. A pair of yellow eyes began to glow in the regenerating skull as hair began to appear. The yellow eyes set its sights on Natalia.

_I will teach you to go against us, insolent child,_ Phenex thought as it formed a flaming dagger.

_By taking away the one you care for most!_ Phenex moved the dagger last minute and fired it at Eren.

"Yes, let's," Rias said, glaring at Natalia.

Natalia looked at her impassively when her eyes widened. She shoved Eren out of the way and everyone's eyes widened. Eren looked up in horror as a flaming blade stuck out of his older sister's torso and watched as she fell to the ground, blood pouring from her wound.

"Nee-san!" Eren ran up to her and knelt next to her, placing his hands on her wound.

"E… ren," Natalia gasped out as blood started to trickle out of her mouth.

"Natalia-san! Hang on!" Asia said as she began to heal her.

"HAHAHA! THIS IS TOO GOOD! AHAHA! I WAS AIMING FOR THE CHILD BUT THIS… ohhh, this is much better. This is the price you pay, descendant of Naamah. We own you. And when we say something, do it or this is what happens! AHAHA!" Phenex said as her necrotized flesh began to regain its color.

"You…," Ajuka growled as his eyes. "You hurt my daughter!"

"Oh, that is funny. Ahaha! The wayward father comes home to see his daughter impaled in front of him! AHAHAHA!" Phenex cackled as she clutched her sides.

"Tch!" Ajuka shook in his spot as a green aura began to cover him.

"Don't worry! You'll join her soon enough!" Phenex said as her yellow eyes began to glow ominously. Several flaming spheres surrounded her as she raised her hand. The spheres launched towards Ajuka, who stood there unmoving. His eyes flashed green as the fireballs halted in midair. The flames began to change color and became green as Phenex looked on with wide eyes.

"The **Kankara Formula**. A power I developed based on my calculations using my family power of Tetralogy. The Kankara Formula combines the Four Fundamental Forces and allows me to manipulate the phenomenon of Creation and control the powers of other devils," Ajuka said as he raised his hand. "Be grateful that you have seen this power before your death."

"Damn you!" Phenex yelled as her aura flared.

"_Phenex. Return at once_," a voice called out inside her mind. Phenex's eyes narrowed before nodding. She looked on as the green flames barreled towards her. Phenex grinned as the flames impacted her.

The explosion rocked the entirety of the neighborhood as tremors traveled across the entire town. The sky was alit with flames as the heat battered them. Everyone shielded their faces they squinted to see if Phenex had survived.

The smoke cleared to reveal nothing. Ajuka shook in rage and screamed in rage as he sent a blast of energy to the sky.

"Ajuka! Calm down!" Sirzechs said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Ajuka-sama! Natalia! She's breathing… but barely," Asia said as she kept the healing up. "We need to get her to a hospital!"

"Right!" Ajuka said as he formed a magic circle underneath them.

* * *

**Sitri Hospital, Sitri Territory, Gehenna, 8:58 PM**

* * *

Issei sat in the waiting room, waiting for Mitsuki and Irina to return with food. Ingvild, Tohka, and Mica had returned home to America to notify Ouranos of what had happened as well as something else.

* * *

"_Where are you guys going?" Issei asked as he saw Ingvild standing with Tohka and Mica._

"_We need to go back to America to tell Uncle Ouranos what happened here," Ingvild said._

"_We also have to talk to someone important," Mica said as he waved his hand. The air inside of the hospital began to ripple as a rift opened in front of him._

"_Issei… when you get back, if you go back, there's someone that might want to meet you," Tohka said as she walked into the rift. Mica followed after her after waving goodbye while Ingvild smiled at Issei before leaving._

* * *

"Issei," a voice caught Issei's attention as he snapped out of his reverie.

Issei turned around to see Rias walking up to him.

"Can we talk?" Rias asked.

"I did promise that we would talk later… didn't I?" Issei said as a weak smile made its way to his face.

Rias chuckled weakly as she sat next to him.

"I… Rias, I know what happened to you," Issei said. "What happened to the others. And I know it's not your fault."

"...," Rias remained quiet as Issei talked. "So… Issei, is it possible for us to?"

"Rias. The time we had together. The time we spent fighting together. Our relationship. That was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life. You were the first person to see me as something other than a pervert," Issei said. He paused for a second before continuing.

"I loved you. I gave my entire being to you. My soul. My trust. My loyalty. Everything. And when I saw you with… him, I just shattered. I thought that you had taken everything we fought for. The peace we wanted and threw it all away just for a fling so when Natalia revealed to me that someone made her use her magic to sway you and the other girls, I was relieved because I knew that you had no choice on your part. But even knowing that, I can't be with you again because all I see whenever I see you is how you and Tatsuya were."

"But Issei, that wasn't my-!" Rias was interrupted by Issei.

"I know but… I can't… I just can't. It's not you… it's me," Issei said.

"Issei… please," Rias said as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Rias… we can't be together anymore," Issei said.

Rias looked at Issei with tears streaming down her face. Her azure eyes were broken beyond belief as her soul began to shatter piece by piece with Issei's every word. She clutched her chest as her heart began to throb in pain.

Issei looked at her sadly as she fell to her knees and began to sob in grief and anguish.

"Please… let me have this one more time," Rias whispered as she stood up and wrapped her arms around Issei. "Just one more."

Rias leaned in and softly pressed her lips on Issei's. Issei reciprocated her kiss, pouring the last of his feelings for her into it. Tears streamed down both their faces before they pulled apart. Rias pulled away and walked past Issei, before breaking into a sprint towards the entrance of the hospital, leaving Issei to watch as the last reminder of his past with her walked out the door.

* * *

"Nghh," Natalia groaned as her eyes fluttered open.

"Nee-san!"

"Natalia!"

"Eren?... Otou-san?" Natalia groaned as she sat up. A sharp pain shot through her torso. She looked down and saw a massive bandage. The memories of her defending Eren from an attack from Phenex came flying to the forefront of her mind.

"Natalia-san."

The girl perked up at the mention of her name and stiffened when she saw Sirzechs. Years of falsely perceived hatred against the Crimson Satan was not going away any time soon but for the sake of her brother and… her father, she was going to make an effort.

"Lucifer-sama," Natalia said.

"I know that you're tired… but we need to talk to you about your actions," Sirzechs said.

"Of course," Natalia said.

"First of all, why did you do what you did? You tore apart several stable relationships and for what?" Sirzechs asked.

"... I was forced too. He just came out of nowhere," Natalia said.

* * *

"_Fuck this shit," Natalia said as she stretched her neck to get the crick she was feeling out. Natalia exited her office as she walked down the stairs of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. She smiled as she walked down the streets of Tokyo and her face dropped when she saw a large number of people in front of her._

"_It's times like these when I love being born a devil," Natalia said under her breath as she turned into an alleyway. She glanced around before spreading her feathered batlike wings and taking off._

_Natalia flew through the air with a carefree smile on her face. She looked down and giggled when she heard the screams of frustration from the people stuck in traffic._

"_Sucks to be you doesn't it," Natalia said as she flew to her apartment. As she neared it, her body froze._

_Natalia looked around as she landed on the roof of her apartment building._

"_Come out," Natalia said as her hand began to glow._

"_Hmph, the Naamah senses run strongly within you," a voice said from seemingly all directions. Natalia's eyes narrowed and her body tensed when the darkness in the area intensified and massed together, forming a humanoid shape. The shadow was tall with yellow glowing eyes._

"_Who are you and what do you want?" Natalia said as a violet blade formed around her palm._

"_Now, now, we don't want to get rough, do we? I don't believe in hitting women and you wouldn't want something to happen to little Eren now would you?" the shadow said as a grin formed on its face._

"_You…," Natalia growled. She shot off towards the shadow and swung her aura blade down on the shadow. _

_Her eyes widened when her hand was caught. The figure's eyes became filled with glee as its grip tightened. Natalia cried out in pain as she fell to one knee. Her eyes widened when a foot planted itself in her stomach and she was sent crashing into one of the AC units._

_Natalia looked up in pain as the shadow slammed its foot into her chest, pinning her down._

"_Now, now that was a dumb thing to do," the shadow said._

"_What do you want?" Natalia asked._

"_I want you to do something for me. You see I had this little project that I need your help with," the shadow said._

"_Project?"_

_A folder manifested in the shadow's hands and dropped it next to Natalia._

"_I need you to use your powers of Luxuria to awaken him," the shadow said._

"_Him?" Natalia asked._

"_Yes, him. By whatever means necessary," the shadow said._

"_Whatever means?" Natalia asked, fearing the implications._

"_Killing his family, having his sisters done unspeakable things to them in front of him, or something even more," the shadow said._

"_You're sick," Natalia said._

"_Come now, if you do this, I can guarantee your brother's safety," the shadow said._

_Natalia paused at his words._

"_N-!"_

"_And if you do, I promise to resurrect your mother," the shadow said._

"_R- Resurrect? That's impossible without Evil Pieces and besides, my mother is a pile of bones now," Natalia said._

"_Hmph," the shadow snapped his fingers and a bird fell out of the sky dead. The shadow walked over and slammed its foot on its corpse, smearing it across the pavement. Natalia sat up and watched in morbid wonder._

"_This is the power of a Demon, child. Watch closely," the shadow said as it raised its arm. Violet strings of energy sprung from its hand and wrapped around the dismembered corpse of the bird. The strings attached to each piece and sewed them back together. The bird's lifeless eyes glowed violet and its body twitched before chirping._

"_No way," Natalia said. "Evil Pieces can't even restore someone whose body has been ruined beyond the point of a possible resurrection."_

"_See? I can restore even your mother to life. Now, what do you say? Are the lives of your mother and brother not important to you or do I have to bring Eren up here and rip him to pieces in front of you," the shadow said._

"_Tch. You bastard… fine, you win. I'll do it. Who is it? Who's my target," Natalia said._

"_Look in the folder," the shadow said._

"_Issei Hyoudou?" Natalia read as she opened it._

"_Make sure that he awakens by any means necessary," the shadow said._

"_What does that even mean? How do I know if he's awake?" Natalia asked. _

_The shadow materialized a vial in his hand and held it out to her._

"_Blood?" Natalia asked._

"_Sense the energy inside of it," it said._

_Natalia closed her eyes and sensed the vial. Her mind nearly broke when she felt it._

"_W- What is this?" she asked._

"_The Blood of our Creator, Da'at," the shadow said. "It contains her power. The power of the Aspect of Extinction herself, given to countless children. We only need one to awaken to trigger them all."_

"_Then why this one?" Natalia asked._

"_Because he's special," the shadow said. "Now, enough questions. Your target is located in Kuoh. Now, time to meet your handler."_

_Natalia's eyes traveled over to the side where she saw a blonde woman with drill-like curls manifested in front of her in a swirl of flames._

"_This is Phenex. Your handler," the shadow said._

"_...," Natalia just glared at him._

"_Now, get to it," the shadow said._

* * *

"Did it give you a name?" Sirzechs asked.

"He did," Natalia said.

"He?" Ajuka asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"His name…," Natalia said.

"His name is Beelzebub."

* * *

**Blacklight Files: File 202**

**File Name: Tetralogy**

**Also known as the Power of the Four Unified Forces. The power belonged to the Original Astaroth and his descendants. The power allows the members of the Astaroth Family to manipulate the Four Fundamental Forces of the Universe: Electromagnetic Force, Strong Force, Weak-Nuclear Force, and Gravity. While nearly all members of the Astaroth Family focus on three of the forces, Electromagnetic, Strong Force, and Gravity, some members such as Ajuka Beelzebub has taken to manipulate all Four Forces, which went into the creation of the Kankara Formula. His daughter, Natalia, can control the Weak Nuclear Force for her dispersal technique in order to manipulate and control radiation, capable of emitting 160 grays of radiation. She can control Gravity and Strong Nuclear as well.**

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Scrumblenut: Well, someone almost died but no one will die yet. YET.**

**Rhongomyniad: Well, the Purgatory Blossom manipulates the roots of the Tree of Life but the actual Qliphoth and Sephiroth nodes like Thaumiel and Keter will be personified through the Archangels and Lucifer's eldest Creations. For example, note that this is not real life as I reassigned most of the Angels from their actual Sephirah,**

**Archangels:**

**Lucifer=Da'at**

**Michael=Hod**

**Raphael=Chokmah**

**Gabriel=Yesod**

**Uriel=Netzach**

**Azazel=Gevurah**

**Azrael=Binah**

**Lesser Seraph:**

**Metatron=Keter (Inherited from Lucifer after she fell)**

**Sandalphon=Malkuth**

**Zadkiel=Chesed**

**Anael=Tipheret**

**Notice, that most of these Angels aren't part of their actual Sephirah.**

**(Edit: Ignore this. This has been retconned before it was made canon.)**

**Hmm, so Beelzebub has officially been made known to the Maou and Issei has officially ended his relationship with Rias. What do you think of making Ajuka Eren and Natalia's father? Anyway, have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours~!**


	13. Blacklight

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release**.

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Kyoto, Japan, November 4, 2019, 8:45 PM; Current Time: 4 Minutes and 52 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"KON-KON!"

Kuroka slammed her head into her desk when she heard the bark. She began to pull on her onyx locks as her ears twitched and tails stiffened. She groaned as she stood from her chair as she walked over to her door. Kuroka made her way down the halls of Kyoto's Palace, going over to the throne room as she rubbed her forehead.

"This is the third time this week… Yasaka-sama, whoever it is that's visiting can't be that bad," Kuroka said as she entered the throne room.

"KOOON!"

Kuroka deadpanned as she saw Yasaka running around the throne room with a feather duster, cleaning everything in sight. She slapped her forehead and crossed her arms underneath her large breasts as she watched the Empress of Kyoto cleaning the throne room like a maid.

"Ara, ara, Yasa-chan sure is going all out," a voice said next to Kuroka.

Kuroka glanced over to her side and saw a kitsune with blood-red eyes. She had pitch-black hair and had a pair of fluffy black fox ears. She wore a black haori over a white yukata with a golden obi wrapped around her waist. The woman had a red skirt on and thigh-high knee socks with metal-plated boots. She had nine black fluffy tails that had white tips swishing around lazily behind her.

"Yeah," Kuroka said. Her mind jolted when she finally realized who she was talking to and immediately bowed before her.

"K- K- KONOHA-SAMA!" Kuroka yelped as she immediately bowed down before the Kyuubi before her.

The sound of Kuroka calling her name froze Yasaka in place as she dropped her feather duster. She sprinted over to the duo's spot and knocked Kuroka out of the way.

"O- Onee-sama! I'm so sorry! My place is a mess!" Yasaka said, bowing down.

"Ahh! Yasa-chan~!" Konoha appeared behind her back and began to grope her chest. She smirked as Yasaka moaned every time she gave a squeeze.

"Did they get bigger since the last time I saw you?" Konoha asked as she fondled Yasaka's breasts. She gave them a firm squeeze and grinned when Yasaka reacted.

"N- Nee-sama! Hyaa!" Yasaka cried erotically.

"Fufufu- OW!" Konoha let go of Yasaka's chest as a hand chopped her on the head. A woman with violet hair and crimson eyes walked out from behind Konoha with her fist steaming. She wore a white and violet kimono with a crescent moon crown around her head.

"Konoha, calm down," the woman said.

"Tsukuyomi-sama," Konoha said, rubbing the top of her head. Yasaka looked at the woman gratefully before turning to Kuroka.

"Kuroka… you can take the rest of the day off. Just come back in a few days. I need to talk to Tsukuyomi-sama and Onee-sama about something," Yasaka said as she composed herself.

"E- Eh? Really?" Kuroka said. The prospect of a break was enticing. It was tiring working as a member of Yasaka's court even though she was just the ambassador.

_Maybe, I can see Issei for the first time in weeks. I haven't heard from him or Vali in a while and I can even see Shirone, nya!_ Kuroka thought.

"I'll see you in a few days, Yasaka-sama nya~!" Kuroka said as she ran out of the room.

As soon as she left, Tsukuyomi shook her head.

"That's your prospect, Yasaka? That's who will replace Tsurara Kurokami?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Yes, Tsukuyomi-sama. Personality aside, Kuroka is a capable person. She can ascend to the point where she can be as powerful or even more powerful than Tsurara-senpai," Yasaka said.

* * *

**Eve High School, Sioux Falls, SD, November 4, 2019, 11:45 AM**

* * *

Issei sighed as he placed his hand on his cheek. Behind the doors, he heard the shouts of Grayfia at the school principal for not notifying her that Issei had become part of the "exchange program". He shivered remembering what had happened in the hospital when he and Irina went to visit Natalia.

* * *

"_Issei, I don't get why we're visiting her. Ajuka-sama said that she's okay," Irina said as she sipped some milk tea._

"_I know but I just want to check on her. I don't like what she did but… I sympathize with her. Because she was right about me. If I were her, I would have certainly done something worse than this," Issei said, smiling as he held a box of donuts in one hand._

_Irina looked at Issei for a few seconds._

"_Well, be glad you weren't in that sort of position, Ise-kun," Irina said. She reached over and interlocked her fingers with his free right hand. Feeling the warmth of her skin, Issei smiled and the two walked on, holding hands and enjoying each other's company. After a few seconds, Issei spotted a familiar mop of red hair._

"_Ah, Sirzechs-nii," Issei said. "Hey!"_

"_Issei!" Sirzechs said, walking over to him. He began to check Issei over. Issei sighed in frustration as Sirzechs raised his arm and began looking him up and down._

"_Sirzechs-nii, this is like the fifteenth time you've done this!" Issei groaned as Sirzechs pulled his shirt up and checked for wounds._

"_Eh? Sirzechs-sama…," Irina said as her eye twitched in annoyance. _

_Only I can touch Issei like that, Irina thought as murderous thoughts ran through her mind. She completely forgot the fact that Sirzechs was just checking Issei for his health._

"_Are you here to visit Yatoga- um… Naamah-san?" Sirzechs asked as he opened the door._

"_Yeah, I need to talk to her about some things. Maybe find out more about this Beelzebub character she mentioned," Issei said._

_Issei, Irina, and Sirzechs walked inside to see a doctor attending Natalia. She was sitting up with Eren next to her as the doctor began to clear her for checkout._

"_Well, Naamah-sama, it seems that you're ready to be checked out of the hospital. The Phenex Tears worked their charm on your burn wounds and you are making an excellent recovery. We see no need to keep you here. Just let me get your stuff and a nurse will come to help you out," the doctor said._

"_Thank you, doc," Natalia said as she pulled out her IV needle. She turned and noticed Issei, Irina, and Sirzechs at the door waving._

"_Natalia-san," Irina greeted neutrally._

"_Ah, Shidou-san," Natalia greeted with a small smile on her face. "Issei, Lucifer-sama."_

"_Right, we're here to ask more about Beelzebub if you don't mind," Issei said. _

"_Oh sure. But do you mind leaving the room? I need to get changed," Natalia said._

"_Of course," Issei said as he, Eren, Irina, and Sirzechs all exited the room._

_Upon exiting Natalia's hospital room, Issei sensed the presence of someone familiar. Sirzechs and Irina stiffened and became rooted to their spots. A cold air traveled down the hallway, freezing the walls. Nurses and doctors all ran to keep the ice at bay as Issei and the others saw the frozen form of Grayfia standing at the end of the hallway. She had tears streaming down her face as she looked at Issei._

"_Issei…," Grayfia said as she took slow steps towards him. The tears began to stream down harder than ever when Issei smiled. Her walk broke into a jog which evolved into a full-on sprint._

"_Issei!" Grayfia ran over and wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him tightly while Issei brought his arms around her waist._

"_Ane," Issei whispered._

"_Issei-chan. You're okay. You're okay," Grayfia whispered as she tightened her embrace._

_Sirzechs and Irina smiled at the scene. Grayfia always cared for Issei, loving him as the little brother she always desired ever since her less than desirable parting with her younger brother, Euclid Lucifuge. She pulled out and remembered what she promised to do after she saw Issei again. _

_Issei felt great pain in his stomach and the air was knocked out of his lungs as Grayfia planted her fist deep into his gut and sent him flying across the hallway, crashing through a wall and landing in the hospital's courtyard._

"_Oh," Sirzechs said._

"_Shit," Irina finished. _

_Grayfia had an aura of frozen fury around her as she disappeared in a burst of speed. Issei groaned as he looked up and saw the furious agonized eyes of Grayfia looking down on him._

"_You have some nerve, pulling a stunt like that," Grayfia said in a cold tone._

"_Ehehe… sorry about that. No one was answering so I figured I'd go and do it myself before I… you know died," Issei said._

_Grayfia's aura and look of anger disappeared as she knelt next to Issei and pulled him into another hug._

"_I'm so sorry for ignoring your calls… Can you ever forgive me?" she asked._

"_Yeah, I can never be mad at you for too long, Ane-ue," Issei said._

* * *

"Ma'am, please calm down!" Issei heard a woman say through the door.

"CALM DOWN! I am trying to remain as calm as I can in obtaining answers for the reason as to why I was not informed that he was going here!" he heard Grayfia yell.

"Because we already informed his legal guardian," a voice said. Issei froze. The tone of the voice sent chills down his spine. The voice left no room for argument as he heard Grayfia's voice die down into useless babbling.

"Issei Hyoudou. Please come into the office," the voice said.

Issei gulped and stood from his chair. He opened the door and saw Grayfia sitting in a chair across from the woman with wide and shocked eyes. Issei's gaze traveled to what Grayfia was looking at and saw the Vice Principal of the School, Dana. Dana, if Issei remembered correctly, was Ingvild's legal guardian and her aunt.

"Um, Vice Principal Dana?" Issei asked.

"Issei, I was told that Ashley was your legal guardian by our mutual friend, Caelum, but this woman here is claiming to be your legal guardian as well. Would you care to explain?" Dana asked, her yellow piercing eyes boring into Issei's own.

"Um, Az-nee is my legal guardian," Issei said. Grayfia narrowed her eyes and looked at Issei. "Eh! Gray-nee is my and Mitsuki's older sister, you see."

"I see that. Though, you two look nothing alike," Dana said, placing her hands into her pockets.

"Er… well, you see she takes after our paternal grandmother while we take more from our mother's side of the family," Issei said.

"Hmmm, well then," Dana said, closing her eyes in thought. "Very well. We do sincerely apologize to you, Ms. Hyoudou-!"

"Lucien!" Grayfia said. "I'm married."

"Ah, apologies, Mrs. Lucien. We humbly apologize for not informing you though I have to admit, I was heavily under the impression that Ashley provided us with the papers signed by your parents. Perhaps you may want to consult them as well," Dana said.

"Yes, I might. Thank you for your time," Grayfia said hastily as she stood and dragged Issei out of the office.

"Why did I have to play scared Principal today?" the woman asked, flicking her blonde hair out of the way. Her green eyes traveled over to Dantalion, who had a serious look on her face.

"Because, you're the good cop principal, Morgana," Dantalion said.

"Alright, I'm heading out. Cornelius said that Lisa might bring him in later today so he wants us to prepare a meeting," Morgana said as she stood. She waved, her green eyes glowing slightly before crumbling away in a violet mist.

* * *

"Issei," Grayfia said as soon as they were far away from the office. "I'm going to head back to the Gehenna now. I assume that you're going to come home for good in three weeks during their Thanksgiving break."

Issei looked at her and nodded.

"Good. Sign-ups begin in two weeks. I assume that you'll have a team by then," Grayfia said.

"I do but at the moment it's only me, Irina, and Mitsuki. Kiba, Asia, Gasper, and Rossweisse are staying with Rias since she's their master and the only reason I got Mitsuki was because… I did Seekvaira a favor," Issei said.

"And what was that favor?" Grayfia asked.

"You don't want to know," Issei said as he and Ddraig shivered from horrible memories.

"Regardless, you need to have a full team by February. The games shall start then," Grayfia said. "I will see you in two weeks?"

"Of course, Ane-ue," Issei said.

"Have fun in the States, Ototou. Maybe go see the world's largest wheel of cheese?" Grayfia said as she disappeared in a red magic circle.

* * *

Rias sniffled as she sat in her bed. Ever since she and Issei had broken up, Rias had retreated back into the Gremory Territory not even bothering to come back to her classes. Her eyes looked down as she saw another CC pop up in front of her.

_Koneko_

Rias mindlessly swiped the circle straight to voicemail and heard it play.

"_Rias-sama! Where are you!? It's been two weeks! Come back. We still need to train for the tournament and find a way to get Issei back. Akeno told us what happened back there in Issei's room. What you two talked about? I promise that we will get Issei ba-!"_

Rias couldn't take it anymore and swiped the circle, dispersing it.

_Issei… our eternity together is nothing more than just a memory now,_ Rias thought as she quietly began to sob. Her sobs of anguish morphed into ones of agony as she gripped her temples once more.

"Not again. My eyes… they hurt!" Rias gasped as she fell off her bed and writhed on the floor in pain. The pain soon subsided and Rias opened her eyes. They were glowing blue with a faint white floral lazily spinning in the middle before returning to normal.

"Maybe I should tell Tou-sama and Kaa-sama. I still have to tell them what happened since Nii-sama is so busy," Rias said as she grabbed the glass of water sitting on her nightstand.

* * *

"Issei, do you have a second?"

Issei turned around and saw Ingvild standing behind him. She had a small smile on her face that made Issei's heart skip a few beats as the light from the sun cast an ethereal glow on her face.

"Uh… sure?" Issei said.

"I need you, your sister, and Irina to come with me after school," Ingvild said. "And before you ask, Tohka and Mica are going to be there too."

"Okay, what are we doing? Is there another monster in the town that needs to be taken care of because I have to admit, these constant wendigo hunts have me tired right now," Issei said.

"No, nothing like that. Someone we know wants to talk to you," Ingvild answered.

"Is there something more? Like who it is?" Issei asked.

"For now, all you need to know is that someone wants to talk to you. We'll answer any questions you have later on," Ingvild said.

"But-!"

"Issei, I promise," she said.

"Fine, but if you guys try anything," Issei said.

"Issei, there is nothing we could possibly try and besides, we've been friends for a bit now. Don't you trust us a bit more now?" Ingvild asked.

"Um, I do but…," Issei trailed off.

"It's alright. We haven't been very forthcoming with how we became monster hunters, I get it but after school, you'll know why," she said, walking off.

"What was that all about?"

Issei turned and saw Irina and his twin sister walking up to him, carrying their textbooks.

"Ingvild wants us to come with her, Tohka, and Mica to go meet someone after class. She wouldn't say who and that made me cautious," Issei said.

"I think we should," Irina said. "We have no reason not to trust them, but we should stay on guard."

"Irina's right," Mitsuki said. "Whoever's running the monster extermination in this town to protect its citizens against wendigos must have known we were here the moment we arrived. They must finally want to meet us after observing us hunt with those three."

"Well, whoever they are, we can't take them lightly," Issei said as he began to walk with them to their next class.

"What about Grayfia-sama? She came here to talk to the staff about your sudden… inclusion into the 'exchange program'," Mitsuki said.

"Well, after all that, she said that when we finally go back during Thanksgiving Break, that we should head over to Lucifaad in order to sign up for the tournament," Issei said.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here until their winter break?" Irina asked.

"No, I think it's time I faced the rest of them. I broke up with Rias but that doesn't mean that I did the same for the others. I need to make it official," Issei said.

"And then?" Mitsuki asked.

"I move on with my life," Issei said simply.

* * *

"Nyaa~! It's been so long since I've been here!" Kuroka said as she raced up to the door.

"Kuroka, slow down. The house isn't going to disappear," Arthur said as he, Vali, and Bikou followed behind her.

"But it's been so long since I've seen Issei, nya~," Kuroka complained, turning around to face Arthur's impassive face.

"Kuroka, why are you even bothering to come here? I told you that Issei isn't here and is out of the country for a foreign exchange program for Kuoh," Vali said.

"If Issei's not here, then I'll just come to see Shirone! She must miss her precious Nee-chan so much!" Kuroka rattled on.

"I doubt that," Vali said as he rang the doorbell.

"I'm coming!" a voice said. The door opened and Vali had to look down to see who greeted them. It was that blonde dhampir… Gasper if he remembered correctly.

"V- Vali! Welcome! Would you like to come inside?" Gasper asked.

"Sure, but I won't be long. Kuroka just came to see her sister-!"

The ground underneath them shook and Vali had to grab onto the door to keep from falling down. Behind him, his friends weren't so lucky. Arthur, Bikou, and Kuroka had fallen flat on their asses when the ground suddenly shook violently.

"What was that!?" Bikou asked.

"Eto, that would be Asia-senpai trying to figure out a new spell," Gasper said.

"Asia's learning new magic? Is it healing magic?" Kuroka asked.

"Um, I'll come and show you," Gasper said as he led them inside. As they walked in, Kuroka couldn't help but notice the air around the household. While the house was in pristine condition, the atmosphere was… she couldn't quite put her finger on it. All she could say was that it was different from normal. The Hyoudou Household always had a cheerful and carefree air around it and now… she didn't know what to say.

_What the hell happened here?_ Kuroka thought as he followed Gasper to one of the elevators that led to the training area.

The five entered the elevator and made their way down to the training area. When the door opened, they were greeted with the sight of a mass of plants erupting from the ground, deflecting a blast of ice and fire at once.

They spotted Akeno standing with her backs to them, her arms were crossed as she watched the clash before her.

"Gasper, who was it?" Akeno asked, not even turning around.

"Vali Team. They're here with me right now, Akeno-senpai," Gasper said.

Akeno turned around and saw the hardened faces of Vali, Arthur, and Bikou as well as the cheerful, carefree face of Kuroka. She gulped a little. She knew that Vali, Arthur, and Bikou were well aware of what happened to Issei and who the boys were but Kuroka was completely out of the loop.

"Where's Shirone?" Kuroka asked.

"Koneko-chan is over there," Akeno replied, pointing to the white-haired nekomata who was sparring with a blonde boy with grey eyes.

"Who's she sparring with?" Kuroka asked, her golden eyes gazing at the boy as he was sent flying by one of Koneko's punches.

"Oh, he's a prospective peerage member. Since Issei is going to be promoted to high-class, Rias-sama has been going around Kuoh and gathered up these three," Akeno said. It was a half-truth. The boys were prospective peerage members but… how they met them was less than savory and she didn't want to deal with that explanation without her king here.

"Come to think of it. I don't see Rias anywhere. Where is she?" Vali asked.

"She returned to Gehenna for some business with her parents," Akeno said.

"I see," Vali said. He turned and saw Asia Argento meditating off to the side with Rossweisse standing over her. A green aura manifested around Asia and the floor around them began to tremble slightly. "She's improving."

"Yeah, she is," Akeno said.

"GAH!"

Akeno turned and saw Tatsuya being slammed into the ceiling by a root that had grabbed his foot. Yuu was sent flying by a rogue green energy blast from one of the plants and impacted a wall.

Akeno sighed at the sight.

"So who's plant guy?" Bikou asked.

"Do you remember Asia's boyfriend?" Akeno asked.

"Yeah?" Bikou said.

"That's his Sacred Gear. Apparently, it's called **Purgatory Blossom**," Akeno said.

"I see. Well, we must be going. Kuroka is going to stay with you for a few days until Yasaka calls her back to Kyoto," Vali said as he began to leave. He glanced over to Kuroka, who had run off to Koneko and began to hug the life out of her.

"Wait! Vali!"

"What?"

"Has Azazel-sama told my father yet?"

"Not that I know of," Vali said. "If he did, then he isn't showing it. However, I heard that the Naamah Heiress received a pardon from Maou Beelzebub."

Akeno gritted her teeth. Her fists clenched at the sound of that name but quickly remembered that she was just a tool being used to destroy them.

"What else do you know?" Akeno asked.

"Just that. If they know who sent her, they aren't saying anything yet," Vali said as he opened the elevator door. "I'd be careful if I were you. Whoever coerced her, a member of one of the strongest devil clans, to go after you and Rias, is extremely powerful themself so you best watch out. I have a feeling that what you just discovered is just the beginning."

And with that ominous warning, Vali, Bikou, and Arthur left, leaving Akeno standing there with his warning echoing inside her mind.

* * *

"So where is this place that you're taking us to?" Irina asked as she climbed into the backseat of Mica's van.

"It's located a few miles outside of town and is well hidden," Tohka said from the front passenger seat.

"Someone will meet us outside. You can't exactly get to where we need to go on a car once we get there. After that, we're on foot," Ingvild said, smiling at them.

"Who exactly are we meeting?" Issei asked.

"One of the teachers from the school. Her name is Lisa," Mica said as he pulled out into the main road.

"Lisa. As in the AP World History Teacher?" Irina asked.

"The very same. She's a monster hunter, believe it or not. We're also meeting Eric. If you don't know him, he's the AP Stats teacher at the school," Tohka said. "Take a left here."

"I know where to go," Mica said.

"Just making sure," she said.

"So, we're meeting two teachers outside of town. Does this seem like the plot of a horror movie to anyone?" Mitsuki asked.

"Isn't our entire lives a horror movie with all the monsters and everything?" Ingvild replied, smiling.

"You got me there," Issei said. Irina remained silent throughout the rest of the exchange, opting instead to look out the window and watch the scenery fly by. They had been driving for fifteen minutes now and had already passed the city line a few miles back. The trees quickly blurred into one moving image as they drove down the countryside. Haybales and fields that appeared to be made of gold passed by as Irina, Issei, and Mitsuki looked. Livestock roamed and small planes flew over some of the fields, releasing a mist. A mist that they could only assume was pesticide. After several more minutes, Mica slowly veered off the main road and down into the dirt path. The car slowly rolled to a stop as Mica parked in the middle of the woods.

"Alright," Mica said, turning the car off. "We're here. They should be waiting for us a few feet ahead."

"So why are we meeting in the middle of the woods?" Irina asked as she hopped out of the car.

"You'll see," Tohka said as she walked ahead of them. The six walked for a few minutes before spotting two people standing ahead of them. Issei narrowed his eyes and saw a man and a woman waiting for them. The man had his arms crossed and had blue eyes and silver hair. He wore a black shirt and a red trench coat with black pants. If it weren't for the eyes, Issei would have mistaken him as one of Vali's family members.

The woman next to him had short, shoulder-length platinum blonde hair. Her eyes were pale gold. The woman wore a black coat with a black mini dress underneath. Issei suppressed his perverted urges when he saw how large her breasts were.

_They're bigger than Irina's…. Hehehe_, Issei thought, struggling to keep his giggles inside. Irina looked over at Issei and smacked the back of his head.

"You were thinking of something lewd weren't you?" Irina asked.

"Ehehe," Issei laughed sheepishly. Mitsuki giggled while Ingvild looked at the two in a confused manner. A few seconds later, Tohka and Mica greeted the two.

"Hey, Cap'n!" Tohka said.

"Ah, Elaine Belloc, you're here," the woman said.

"Hey, Lisa," Mica greeted.

"Lisa! Eric!" Ingvild greeted. "Hey!"

"If it isn't Ingvild! How's it going in school? We haven't seen you at the base for a while," Eric said, ruffling her hair. Ingvild pouted and slapped his hand.

"Stop doing that!" Ingvild said indignantly.

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki stood awkwardly to the side. They felt out of place as the three greeted them with warmth. One could easily see the close friendship that the five had. However, one word caught their attention. The word that Tohka had used to refer to Lisa. Captain. Captain of what?

"Hehehe," Eric laughed and finally spotted Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki. "Hey, hey, it's the man of the hour!"

Eric walked over to Issei and clapped his back.

"Nice to meet you kid! Name's Eric. Eric Marshall," he said, greeting Issei.

"Nice to meet you too," Issei said, smiling awkwardly.

"Eric," Lisa said, walking over. Eric nodded and took his arm off from Issei. Lisa looked at Issei, her gaze making Issei feel small. The woman smiled, at his discomfort or for something else, Issei didn't know but she held her hand out.

"My name is Lisa Emrys-D'Arc. It is an honor to meet you, Red Dragon Emperor. I assume that this woman who looks like you is your twin sister, Mitsuki Hyoudou, and of course, the ace of Michael, Irina Shidou," Lisa said as Issei took her hand and shook it.

"Um, how do you know our names?" Issei asked, tensing his muscles as he prepared to summon **[Boosted Gear]**.

"Hmm, we've been watching the events of the Supernatural World for a while now. And besides, even if we weren't, word travels fast. It's a small world after all," she said. "Come on. You guys must be hungry."

"I know I am," Eric said as he began to walk off.

"Um, where are we going?" Issei asked as he walked after them.

"Somewhere where we can eat," Lisa said.

"In the middle of the woods?" Irina asked.

"You'll see. For now, just trust the fact that we aren't planning anything… nefarious," Lisa said.

"Umm, how do we know you won't do anything?" Mitsuki asked.

"Because, we wouldn't be having this conversation if we were," Eric said. His words shut Mitsuki up as the students followed the two deeper into the woods. Eventually, they happened upon an abandoned concrete bunker. The concrete was cracked and decaying and small vines and moss growing all over it. The lamp above the door was rusting and had a broken lightbulb inside and wild birds made their homes in the large enough cracks in the bunker's structure.

"Alright, we're here," Eric said as he walked over to the abandoned bunker.

"An abandoned bunker?" Issei said.

"Yup, now, come inside. You'll find that… it's much _bigger_ inside," Tohka said, winking at Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki.

Hesitating slightly, Issei shrugged and walked into the bunker. Mitsuki and Irina looked at each other and followed after him. The inside was the complete contrast of how the exterior looked. Inside was a pristine room. The white lights cast a sterile glow over the room.

"Is everyone here?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, that's everyone," Tohka said, counting as she looked at them. "We're good," she said, giving Lisa a thumbs up.

Lisa nodded and walked over to a panel that hung on the side of the wall. She opened it with a key and Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina gawked when they saw a computer behind the panel door. Lisa typed something in and pressed her hand against the screen.

"Alright, hang on," Eric said.

"Um, why?" Issei asked.

His answer came in the form of the entire room moving. Issei stumbled and saw the walls moving and upward or were they moving downward. The speed of the movement moved faster as the wall began and the lights attached to the elevator shaft blurred into one. Issei saw the number of the panel go from G to 1F. The room stopped moving and they looked at Lisa and Eric, who had a small smile on their faces.

"And welcome," Lisa said as she opened the door. They walked outside and Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina were floored at the sight. Before them, was a massive hangar-like room. Planes and vehicles lined the hangar as some of them were being fueled while some of them were being prepared for takeoff.

"Come on. The main facility is a ways away," Lisa said as she pressed a button on the wall.

"What was that button for?" Issei asked.

"A ride. The complex is several miles large with some of it being above the ground and other parts of it being subterranean," Lisa said. "We're currently 500 feet underground."

"Looks like our ride is here," Eric said as he spotted a man driving up to them. He wore a grey uniform with a black sun logo embroidered on the left sleeve. A symbol that Issei had seen on Ingvild's necklace and Tohka and Mica's clothing. Even Lisa and Eric had the symbol on their clothes.

"Where to?" the man asked.

"Heya Pete! Take us to central command will ya?" Lisa said, her ahoge dancing atop her head.

"Sure thing boss," Pete said as they all piled into the courtesy transport.

"So when we get there, I want you guys to let us do the talking first and only answer when spoken to," Lisa said.

"Wait? Is this who wants to meet us? How long have you known we were here?" Issei asked.

"A few weeks now. We've known ever since you arrived outside Ouranos's apartment," Lisa said.

"Wait, you know Ouranos?" Irina asked.

"Of course we do. His kid's part of our organization," Eric said.

The three glanced at Tohka who was busy discussing Chemistry with Ingvild and Mica. The ride went on for several minutes as the group passed by several different facilities. Issei spotted several people wearing lab coats and walking down the halls along with others who bore different weapons. All of them wore the same black sun logo on their clothing.

"We'll be outside of Central Command pretty soon," Pete said from the front as he began to slow down. The transport slowed down to a stop and they all hopped off and stood outside of a set of sliding double metal doors.

"Hey look," Eric said.

"What?" Lisa asked. Eric pointed to a circular pad next to the door and Lisa slapped her forehead.

"Let's just go," Lisa said as she pulled out a card. She pressed it against a keypad that was next to the door, causing them to open. The doors hissed as they pulled apart and and they all stepped inside.

"Okay from here, it's up," Lisa said as she pressed a button.

"So who are we meeting?" Irina asked.

"My father, ever since you were detected entering the country via teleportation, has wanted to meet with you but… waited a bit to see what you were like. I was sent to scout you. Which reminds me, where is Heaven's Assassin anyway?" Lisa asked, glancing at them.

"Eh, well, Risa-senpai was called back to Heaven for something," Irina said.

"I see. Well, we'll have to do this without her," Lisa said as the elevator came to a stop.

"Looks like we're here," Eric said as the door opened. Before them was a long hallway with several closed doors. Some of the rooms had windows that allowed Issei and the others to peer inside. They spotted several people in uniform discussing as well as some performing scientific experiments. They walked until they reached an ash wood door at the end of the hallway.

"Dad!" Lisa said, knocking on the door. "Mom! I brought them here!"

"Ah," a gruff voice said from behind the door. "Please, come in!"

Lisa opened the door and led them inside. Issei marveled at the size. The room was large, large enough to fill several dozen people in fact. Ten flags which mirrored the ten flags of Eve High School stood proudly in the back. In between them was a large portrait of a beautiful woman. She had soft, sky blue eyes and long silky blonde hair. Her skin possessed a fair yet slightly tanned complexion and wore a brown traditional native american garb. She had a soft smile on her face as she posed for the portrait.

Issei's eyes drifted from the painting down to the two people looking intensely at them.

**[Be careful, Partner. Those two. They're unnaturally powerful for humans.]** Ddraig said from inside the **[Boosted Gear]**.

Issei nodded inwardly as he stared back at the man and woman.

The man looked at Issei with a slight smile on his face. He looked like the woman in the painting for the eyes. He had shoulder-length golden blonde hair with a short, scruffy blonde beard. He wore a red sweater underneath a high collar trench coat with gold embroidery.

The woman next to him scared Issei. But despite the fear, Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki recognized her. She was the Principal of Eve. The woman had striking green eyes. Like the man, she had pale gold hair styled in a bun with a curled bang running down the right side of her face. She wore a pair of glasses and a white long sleeve top with a keyhole neckline. She wore a black skirt with brown leggings and black shoes. The woman held a clipboard.

"You three are Issei Hyoudou, this generation's Red Dragon Emperor, Mitsuki Hyoudou, the current wielder of Telos Karma, and Irina Shidou, Ophanim of Heaven and Ace of Michael," the woman said.

"Um yes?" Issei said.

"How do you know our names?" Mitsuki asked.

"I'm the Principal. I have access to the entire student records," the woman said, pushing her glasses up.

"Really?" Irina asked the two. "We met her during an assembly."

"We forgot," the twins said simultaneously.

"Honestly," Tohka said, placing her hands on her hips. Mica smirked while Ingvild smiled at their actions.

"Right," Lisa said. "Mom, Dad, you guys wanna introduce yourselves to our guests?"

"She's right dear. We're being really rude. We know their names but they don't know ours," Lisa's father said, laughing a little. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Cornelius D'Arc. This lovely woman next to me is my wife, Morgana D'Arc."

"Pleasure," Morgana said, dryly as she pushed up her glasses.

"Um, hi, Mrs. D'Arc. I'm Issei," he said.

"I know who you are Mr. Hyoudou. But I must say, it was a treat to have the Red Dragon Emperor here at the school. Even with your reputation and the scolding I had to endure from Grayfia Lucifuge of all people," Morgana said.

"Er… sorry about that. I am deeply sorry for her behavior," Issei said.

"It's fine. She was just worried," Morgana said.

"So what did you want to talk to us about?" Irina asked, eyeing the two.

"Hmm, as you might have been made aware by Elaine Belloc over here," Morgana said, gesturing to Tohka. "We have been observing you since the day you have arrived here and have been more than privy to how you are in your hunts with those wendigos, especially that first one, and your encounter with the Original Phenex."

"How?" Irina asked.

"Tohka," Issei said, looking at the girl. He didn't know what to think of her now. The girl, along with Mica and Ingvild were spying on them this whole time.

Tohka noticed his look and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, Issei. I wanted to tell you but… the old man over here said that I had to remain quiet on my status," Tohka said.

"So what do you want?" Issei asked.

"I am here to extend to you an offer. Issei Hyoudou, Irina Shidou, Mitsuki Hyoudou! I offer you membership into the Blacklight Organization!" Cornelius said extravagantly as he pressed a button in his hand. A puff of smoke and confetti erupted behind him. Morgana pinched the bridge of her nose as her husband's actions.

"Eh?" Lisa looked at her dad with an embarrassed look on her face. Eric grinned while Tohka, Ingvild, and Mica looked at the man with a blank look in their eyes.

"Well?" Cornelius asked.

"Um, what's Blacklight?" Issei asked.

"Oh right. The Supernatural World is mostly unaware of our existence," Cornelius said, tapping his chin. "Please have a seat. This might take some time to explain," he said, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk.

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki looked at each other hesitantly before sitting down.

"Where to start? Hmmm, ah. Blacklight is an organization that works in the background of both the Mundane and Supernatural Worlds to observe and counteract threats no matter how large or how small," Cornelius said.

"Wait, if you guys are an organization, then why haven't we heard of you?" Mitsuki asked.

"Our existence is known to few. Nearly all of the Old World Mythological figures are completely unaware of our existence thanks to our efforts in developing several extremely high powered cloaking spells," Cornelius said.

Mitsuki nodded, satisfied by his explanation.

"Where were we? Oh yes, our organization was founded by the now saint, Jeanne D'Arc, my ancestor, during the Hundred Years War. She founded it with her siblings after her hometown, Domremy-La Pucelle was attacked by the Du Lot Werewolf Clan and the Shuzen Vampire Clan, prior to their relocation to Japan. An organization meant to watch for threats to both the supernatural and the human worlds. You know saving people, hunting things. The things that go bump in the night be it human or supernatural," Cornelius said.

"As you know, Jeanne's future military career bolstered the amount of people she recruited into her organization which included both Supernatural and Human members alike," he continued.

"Eventually, she died and her ten most trusted comrades scattered across the world using the means of magic. Her sister, Catherine D'Arc," Cornelius said, gesturing to the portrait. "She was the one who founded this Branch of Blacklight."

"I see," Issei said.

"So if you monitor threats to the world, does that mean that you were aware of Trihexa?" Irina asked.

"Yes, we were aware of Choshek's appearance in this world. Honestly, it was plainly obvious when he appeared," Morgana said. "What's more is that we left trails and crumbs that let you all figured out who the leaders were and got them to reveal their plans."

"So you were active during the time of the war?" Issei asked.

"We were… well our Indian, Japanese, British, Greek, Israeli, Egyptian, and Russian Branches were extremely active since the event did take place in your sector of the world. Our branch was focused on assisting," Morgana said.

"Yes, that's right," Cornelius added. "This is the first time in a while that we've gotten directly involved."

"You've interfered before?" Irina asked.

"World War Two was the last time we directly interfered. It was… a necessary intervention," Cornelius said.

"Why?" Mitsuki asked.

Cornelius and Morgana remained silent at her question.

"That's something you don't need to know for now. Knowing that requires you to be part of our organization," Cornelius asked.

"So your answer, Red Dragon," Morgana asked.

"I… I plan to return home for good during the Thanksgiving Break here. How will membership even be possible?" Issei asked.

"Wait, don't tell me that you're actually considering this, Aniki?" Mitsuki asked, looking at her twin.

"I'm considering it. I never said I accepted. Well?" Issei said as he turned back from his sister to Cornelius and Morgana.

"It is. I'll contact the Head responsible for the Japanese Branch and he'll contact you directly. That is… if you do accept our proposal," Cornelius said.

"Can we have time?" Issei asked.

"Of course, however, you have until the twenty seventh of November to make a choice. That's… two to three weeks from now," Cornelius said.

"Thank you Cornelius sir," Issei said. He got up to bow when Cornelius held his hand out.

"Woah, Woah, you don't need to bow to me kid. I'm not a god nor am I one of those high-class devils," Cornelius said.

Issei nodded and stood next to his sister and Irina.

"I'll allow you to go on your way. Remember, three weeks at most," Cornelius said to the three. They nodded and Lisa motioned for them to follow her. In a few minutes, Cornelius and Morgana were left alone in Cornelius's office and conference room.

"So, what do you think of him, dear?" Cornelius asked.

"Based on what we know from data gathered after observing, he… needs work done if he is to join," Morgana said.

"You have to admit. The boy handled the situation well," Cornelius said.

"I admit that he did. From what we know, I never would have guessed that the Red Dragon Emperor was good at diplomatic negotiations though if what Binah told us was true… then that event really did change him," Morgana said. "A little at least."

"I know. It must have taken a lot to suppress those perverted urges," Cornelius said.

"Yes, it must have," she said.

"Well, I might as well contact Taki and tell him that the Red Dragon is considering our offer. If he accepts, Taki will be in charge of him. I also need to call him to keep a closer eye on Kuoh and I'll contact the others to keep an eye out. One of the Seven Prime Demons is out for this kid and we need to keep him safe from whatever they have planned," Cornelius said as he began to form CCs to make calls.

"Dear," Morgana said as an idea popped into her mind.

"Yes?"

"I propose sending one of the operatives we have back with him to help him settle in on the off-chance that he does accept," Morgana said, pushing up her glasses.

"Oh? And who do you propose that we send?" Cornelius asked, curious at what his wife meant.

"We send Ingvild."

* * *

**Omake: Brother**

"Hmph, they never learn do they?" Ophis said as she sat on the roof of a building. People scurried below her like ants, getting to where they needed to go. A familiar symbol caught Ophis's attention and an immense sadness entered the dark pools that were her eyes. Guilt coursed through her. Many beings were under the impression that she was emotionless but she wasn't. She was just jaded but she could still feel and feel she did.

"Fitting for that to be your symbol. These people worship you. Venerate your teachings and twist them around," she said as she watched them.

A few tears fell from Ophis's eyes as fond memories returned to her.

"_Onee-chan! Look at what I made! I call it the soul! Pretty neat right? Sephirah might steal it though for her own thing but Mavet really likes it!"_

_"Mou Onee-chan! Red and Shekhinah stole my cookies again!"_

_"Onee-chan, do you think Infinity-nee-sama will like this?"_

_"Onee-sama, a bunch of deities and I made something. We call it Earth. It's in one of the Universes that Infinity-nee-sama likes to watch over."_

"I'm sorry, Ototou-chan. Please... please come back," Ophis said as she hugged her knees and began to cry softly.

* * *

**Blacklight Dossier: File A: Blacklight Organization**

**File Info:**

**Blacklight is an ancient secret organization that was founded in the 1400s during the Hundred Years War by the now Christian Saint. Jeanne D'Arc. Its main purpose is to monitor the Earth for threats be it from the Human or Supernatural Worlds. Blacklight was responsible for the intelligence gained by DxD on Khaos Brigade and Qlippoth and secretly provided them with the means to stop Trihexa. In the Human World, Blacklight was responsible for helping end WWI and WWII as well as provide the Americans with the location of Osama Bin Laden. They are led by the Divine Ten.**

**History:**

**After fending off a werewolf attack on her village of Domremy-La Pucelle, Jeanne D'Arc, along with her siblings, began to hunt as a group. Most members came from the nearby village who had been caught between the crossfire in a war between the Shuzen Vampire Clan and the Dulot Werewolf Clan.**

**It bolstered in size during Jeanne's military career spreading all across mainland Europe. After Jeanne's death in Rouen, Blacklight spread across to different parts of the globe. Before the start of the series, the youngest D'Arc sister, Catherine, founded the American Chapter of Blacklight which comprised of the Native American Population.**

**In February of 1692, Blacklight played a hand in attempting to save many of the innocent victims of the Salem Witch Trials which was started after a random passerby witnessed a battle between a member of the Divine Ten and an extremely powerful mage that tore apart and destroyed a large portion of the Boston due to the flooding that occurred during their battle.**

**In World War I with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Blacklight became embroiled in the war when the British Chapter was drawn in due to the amount of divine influence that was occurring during the war. They discovered that the assassin was under the influence of the Old Persian Pantheon led by Mithra in an attempt to resurge their pantheon's influence in the Middle East adn stamp out Islam as well as undercutting the Greco-Roman pantheon who was on the side of the Allies.**

**Following World War I and the Great Depression, Blacklight discovered the survival of one of the Seven Prime Demons and learned that he had been behind the start of the First World War as well as the Second World War. The Divine Ten banded together and confronted the Demon and was able to severely harm him but not before he took down seven of them.**

**Role/FunctionEdit**

**The main role of Blacklight is to act as a buffer between the human and supernatural worlds. Blacklight mostly acts as R&D distributing new weapons and technology as well as spells and rituals to hunters or members of the Hunting Division. Their role is not merely restricted to researchers. Blacklight is also an organization created with the purpose of defending. Blacklight keeps tabs on various supernatural factions of Creation. Due to the amount of supernatural and conventional knowledge that they possessed, Blacklight has been able to discreetly play a role in every major world event without being noticed by any side, human or supernatural.**

**In addition, Blacklight possesses knowledge that not even the eldest of the Gods are aware of. Conventional knowledge among the supernatural suggests that there exists only the human world, the dimensional gap, and the mythical realms, however, Blacklight discovered the existence of the higher realms of Beri'ah, Atziluth, and A"K.**

**Divisions:**

**R&D Department: The Research and Development Department of Blacklight. Its main purpose is to design and distribute information and resources such as technology to better aid and assist their hunters in cases. The R&D Department is currently headed by ████████. **

**Intelligence Department: The Intelligence Department is responsible for monitoring and documenting events, high-profile beings, and factions around the world. It is not limited to the supernatural as they also limit the human world. They are responsible for classing and researching objects. The intelligence department is headed by ████. **

**Hunting Division: The Hunting Division primarily consists of hunters who receive cases and missions from the Intelligence Department. The Hunting Division is also responsible for guarding extremely powerful artifacts contained within the Organization's vaults in various chapters. The current leader of the Hunting Division is ████ ████████**

* * *

**Reviews:**

**tjbloomer83: No, that thing with Ravel in the original ain't gonna happen anymore. That was, I admit, extreme. They didn't deserve that.**

**ScrumbleNut: Ah, that thing with Issei was just regular telekinesis. It isn't part of her family power or one of her family powers. As for Ajuka, I will expand more since Eren and Nat are major characters and why Ajuka didn't find them. It also corresponds to why it took Ajuka so long to find their mother.**

**BeastGod: Thanks! Rias and Issei ending it was what I missed in the original so I decided to do that. Things from here on out will begin to move with Blacklight getting involved.**

**Rhongomyniad: Yes, Ajuka does love Marvel, in this fic at least. I'm still keeping Azazel as Noobmaster69 and Thor as TheLegend27.**

**Before we finish this chapter, I would like for you all to take a moment of silence in respect to our fallen comrade, Great Red.**

**F**

**Ishibumi killed him off. So, F's in the reviews along with _actual__ reviews!_I will be opening a short poll to see what you guys want Issei's second familiar should be. Here are thy choices! (FYI: Elder Dragons from Monster Hunter as I absolutely love that game series.)**

**Gore/Shagaru Magala (Like in OG version)**

**Zinogre**

**Fatalis (Yes. Fatalis. White. Black. Crimson. I don't care. Pick a color in the reviews but vote in the poll.)**

**Kirin**

**Nergigante (Both forms in one)**

**Velkhana**

**Okay, after typing this, I realize that some of you might be completely lost as to what these are so... I'll provide links in the poll to images so you can judge based on appearance. For those of you who are waiting for Tiamat, next chappie! Alright! Follow and Fav if you enjoy and remember... have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!**


	14. A Hidden Enemy

**Sioux Falls, South Dakota, November 25, 2019, 10:00 PM, Current Time: 4 Minutes and 45 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"Ahhh! No! Please! Let me go!" the man said as he backpedaled into the wall. A woman with bright red hair with the fringe covering her right eye. Her lone golden eye glowed eerily in the darkness. Around him, his family members were dead. His wife had her jaw ripped off and her eyes were liquified leaving scorching eyeholes in her skull. His eldest daughter was ripped in half from the bottom up and her entrails hung from the ceiling.

The woman licked the blood off her fingers seductively as she stared at the cowering man before her. She smiled and grabbed his face.

"Dear, I'm just doing this for your son is all. You see, your son is special, isn't that right little man?" the woman said, smirking.

A little boy with black hair and hazel eyes about the age of 10 sat in the chair, tied with duct tape around his mouth. Tears streamed down his face from watching the woman before him slaughtered his family.

"What's it gonna take to awaken you? Do you daddy dearest to die next?" the woman said, lifting the man by the throat.

"MMMPHHHH!" the boy struggled against his bonds as his eyes began to flicker orange. The woman watched with interest and tightened her grip around the man's throat.

"Come on little boy… or I make Daddy here explode," the woman said impatiently, continuing to tighten her grip around the man's throat.

The boy's eyes glowed with greater intensity and the heat in the room began to rise. The rope tying the boy down and the tape covering his mouth combusted into flames as a pair of flaming bird-like wings erupted from his back. He screamed as he charged at the woman.

The woman merely stood there and raised her hand, freezing the boy mid-flight. She moved her hand slightly, sending him crashing through a wall and into the garage where he was knocked unconscious from the blow.

"So that's his power," the woman said. "Welp looks like I don't need you anymore. It's nothing personal. Just following orders."

With those words, the woman squeezed the man's head and crushed it like a grape, sending skull fragments and pieces of gray matter flying all over the room. She sighed in disgust as she plucked out an eyeball from her hair and threw it away. She walked over to the hole in the wall and spotted the boy, lying on the floor with a minor wound on his head that was already healing rapidly.

"_Gremory_," a voice said in her mind.

"Yes, what is it?" Gremory answered as she hoisted the boy on her shoulder.

"_Sitri is preoccupied at the moment in the healing chamber with Leviathan so I need you to get the next one_," the voice said.

"Really? Fine, where is it?" she said, checking her nails.

"_Luckily for you, it's in the town where you found the one you were sent to get_," the voice said.

"That is a lucky break," Gremory said as her sclera turned black. Her golden eyes glowed as a dark vortex appeared in front of her. "I'm gonna store this guy in my personal dimension. Now, tell me. Who is it?"

"_It's the girl from London_," the voice said.

"How'd she get here?" Gremory asked.

"_It seems that she teleported there but be careful. The Red Dragon is also there and so is Ouranos, Amenominakanushi, Hanwi, and the Blacklight Organization_," the voice said.

"Isn't the Red Dragon a capture priority as well?" Gremory asked as she threw the boy into the vortex.

"_Yes, but not now. He's too strong for you to take by yourself. Especially with his friends nearby. Once __**she**__ awakens, I will go and capture him myself._"

"Whatever you say."

"_Good. Now get to it_."

"Alright, geez," Gremory said, severing the link. Her golden eyes looked out the garage window at the full moon and grinned.

"Looks like we're meeting again sooner than you thought, little girl," Gremory said before disappearing from the garage.

* * *

**Sioux Falls, SD, November 26, 2019, 7:30 AM**

* * *

"Haaaah," Issei said as he exhaled, creating a mist in front of his face. Irina walked next to him, arm in arm with Issei as the two made their way to school. Mitsuki walked behind them, conversing with Tohka, Mica, and Ingvild. Today was the three's last day in the United States and the last day Issei had before he had to decide on Cornelius's offer to join Blacklight.

"Hey," Irina said, looking at Issei.

"Hmm?" Issei hummed in question.

"When we get back, how are you going to break it to them? Assuming that Rias hasn't told them yet," Irina asked.

"Gently. I want to do this in a manner that doesn't create tension because… it wasn't their fault nor was it Natalia-sensei's. It was those people who orchestrated this entire plan," Issei said. "And when I find him, I'll show them the consequences of messing with the Red Dragon Emperor."

Inside the **[Boosted Gear]**, Ddraig wept tears of joy upon hearing those words.

**[Oh, Tiamat. If only you were here to see Issei, you might even stop trying to kill all my hosts]** Ddraig said.

"Hmm, I agree with you," Irina said. "But we need to find who the ringleader is. All we have to go off is Beelzebub and that could mean several things."

"We can help you with that!"

Issei and Irina yelped upon hearing Tohka's voice.

"Jesus Lord Almighty! Don't do that!" Irina said, looking at her.

"Sorry. But anyway, if you join, you'll have access to our global information network. You'll be able to monitor all faction activities," Tohka said.

"Really? How is it compared to the Devil's info network or Heaven's or the other factions?" Issei asked.

"Ours pulls insider information from all factions," Mica said. "Due to our composition, we can get insider information from all factions as well as the use of modern-day MagiTech that we use to monitor both the Supernatural Realms and the Earth."

"MagiTech?" Mitsuki asked.

"Classified!" Ingvild said, slapping her hands over Tohka and Mica's mouths. "Seriously? They haven't joined and you're giving away top secret information!"

"Sorry!" the two said in a muffled voice as Ingvild lowered her arms. "I can't you two are my seniors."

"C'mon guys. Let's get to class," Mitsuki said.

* * *

**Gremory Territory**

* * *

Rias sat in her room, staring at her mirror with blank eyes. She sighed as she drew her knees up to her chest. She needed to find a way to start moving on. She knew Issei would be doing the same in this scenario though… it would be hard for them both. That and she still needed to tell her parents. She had sensed Sirzechs and Grayfia arrive inside the Manor today and mentally prepared herself.

"Rias-sama?" a voice called from the door. It was Grayfia.

"Oh, you can come in Grayfia-neesama," Rias said without even glancing at the door.

Grayfia opened the door and walked inside, slowly closing the door behind her. Ever since the revelation of an enemy that targeted Issei's relationship with the girls through the daughter of Ajuka, Grayfia and Sirzechs had begun to try and find the culprit alongside the other Satans, all while keeping it a secret from the general public. The two had decided that Issei and Rias should be the ones to say it.

"Rias?" Grayfia said, dropping the honorific. The girl's hair was a mess and she had worn an oversized shirt as she looked blankly at her mirror.

"Yes?"

"Rias, your parents are expecting you. You said you had something you wanted to say to them?" Grayfia said.

"Nee-sama," Rias said. "Will it ever go away?"

"Hmm?" Grayfia was confused. "Will what go away?"

"This pain. This cruel, agonizing pain… will it ever go away?" Rias asked her, turning with tears streaming down her face.

"Oh Rias," Grayfia said, pulling the girl in for a hug. She rubbed soothing circles across the girl's back.

"AHHHHH!"

"Rias!" Grayfia pulled away and saw Rias placing her hands on the sides of her head, gripping them in pain.

"RIAS!"

Grayfia quickly formed a CC and called Sirzechs, Venelana, and Zeoticus and in a flash of red light, the three appeared in the room.

"Rias!" Zeoticus immediately ran over to her and gently rocked her as she cried in pain.

"Daddy! It hurts! My eyes hurt!" Rias cried in pain.

"To think that she has it too," Venelana said, looking at her daughter in sadness.

"You don't mean…," Sirzechs said, trailing off. Grayfia looked at the Gremory Matriarch with her mouth slightly open in shock.

"I know dear but you have to push through it," Zeoticus said as his eyes flashed red, a bladed cross design appearing in the middle as he placed his hand on her head.

Rias's eyes flashed open as they glowed an eerie blue with a faint small flower patter decorating her irises.

"The Power of Sight, or Perception. The Gremory Family Power," Venelana said.

"The last person who awoke it was…," Grayfia said, glancing at her husband.

"Our sister, Annalise," Sirzechs said.

"I don't understand. Why now?" Venelana asked her husband.

"The Power of Sight has two ways to awaken. Through intense training or extreme mental stress," Zeoticus said. "I assume it was the latter."

"What happened to her to place her in this level of stress? She didn't show signs of this when Issei supposedly died," Venelana said as she walked over and placed a hand on Rias's forehead.

"Um, about that," Sirzechs said.

"Issei and Rias…," Grayfia began.

"We broke up," Rias said, gripping her head as her eyes flickered back to normal.

"You what?" her parents asked in shock.

"We broke up," Rias said as her tears began to flow down her face once more in rivers. "We…"

"Tell us what happened, dear," Venelana said soothingly.

Rias went on to relay the entire story to her parents. Of how she had been influenced by a user of the magic, Luxuria, to perform an act of unspeakable betrayal to Issei. How this act led to their relationship being torn apart, of how Issei removed his pieces to escape the pain of death due to his pieces which she didn't notice during her time under the influence of Luxuria.

She spoke of how her other pieces didn't look at her the same anymore.

"And I can't blame them," Rias said. "But ever since it came out that Beelzebub-sama's daughter was forced into doing that, they've been trying to build a bridge."

"So why did you break up if it wasn't your fault?" Venelana asked.

"Because… Issei will only be reminded of that time I threw myself at Tatsuya while I was under the influence of Luxuria. It'll only remind him of the pain," Rias said.

"Oh Rias," Venelana said.

"To think that they would go so far. To tear apart Issei and Rias's relationship using Ajuka's daughter as a weapon no less," Zeoticus said.

"Did you find out who made her?" Venelana asked as she consoled her daughter.

"No, not yet. All we have is a name. Beelzebub and that could mean a variety of things. Right now, we're investigating if there are living members of Beelzebub's line but so far, we've had none show up," Sirzechs said.

"Well, whoever it is. We have to find them. If at least, to bring peace to your sister knowing that the ones who did this are either dead or facing justice," Venelana said.

"It's not over yet, Rias. You can still salvage what's left of your relationship and begin as friends again," Zeoticus cooed as Rias sobbed lightly into his shirt.

* * *

**Sioux Falls, SD, 10:00 AM**

* * *

A woman with white hair, wearing a yukata yawned as she made coffee in the kitchen. Her ruby red eyes traveled from the coffee machine to the young red-headed girl watching TV in their living room. Her heart melted at the sight of her. She was just as cute as Tohka when she was younger.

"Ameno," Ouranos yawned, walking into the kitchen. "How is she?"

"She's adorable," Amenominakanushi said as the two sat down on the dining table. "It makes me want to have another child. Atalanta and Tohka were so adorable as children… where did the time go?"

The doorbell rang alerting the couple to the noise.

"I'll go see who it is," Amenominakanushi said as she stood from her chair and walked over to their front door. Upon recognizing the guest, Ameno opened the door to reveal a woman.

"Hey!" the woman said, smiling brightly at the two.

"Hanwi!" Ameno said, hugging the woman.

Hanwi was an extremely beautiful woman with slightly tan skin. Her hair was long and silky, bearing some of the same untamed wild that Mica had. Her eyes were a golden hazel and held an air of wisdom to them. She wore a pink jacket with a silver moon symbol embroidered on her sleeve and white jogging pants.

"Come in," Ameno said as she led Hanwi into the kitchen. As they walked in, Hanwi's eyes drifted down to Lily, who was peeking out from the couch and watched her. The Moon Goddess smiled and sent her a small wave, causing the girl to duck down behind the couch.

"Aww, she's cute. Whose kid is she?" Hanwi asked.

"Hmm, the Sekiryuutei came in with her a few weeks ago," Ameno said as they entered the kitchen. Ouranos spotted them and waved.

"Hey Sky Guy," Hanwi said.

"Moon Face, hello," Ouranos said in return.

"Housing wayward Nephilim are we?" Hanwi said, leaning against the freezer.

"I doubt that our guests know what she is," Ameno said as she grabbed her mug off the counter and began to sip.

"Hmm? The Sekiryuutei? I heard that he's a massive pervert from Odin," Hanwi said as she gratefully accepted a mug from Ouranos. "Then again, I have a hard time believing that Frigg married him for his qualities."

"We all think like that sometimes," Ameno said.

"So, what brings you here?" Ouranos said as he cracked an egg and began frying it.

"Can't a Goddess visit two of her closest friends?" Hanwi said.

"I know this isn't a social visit," Ouranos said.

"Fine," Hanwi said as she placed the mug down. "There's been a murder."

"Then, let the police handle it. Humans kill each other all the time," Ameno said after she finished sipping from her mug.

"I would have if I didn't sense traces of it over at the crime scene," Hanwi said. "Demonic Energy and Angelic Energy. Except, the Angel's was… tainted. Not in the way that the fallen are, it was dark."

"So a stray devil and an unknown," Ouranos said.

"You know of any Ultimate Class Stray Devils?" Hanwi asked. "That are in America?"

"There are a few. We have records of them back at the base," Ouranos said.

"Any located here?" Hanwi asked.

"No, now that you mention it. They tend to propagate near population centers," Ouranos said. "That's strange."

"What's stranger is that all of the family members are dead except for one," she said, looking down into her coffee.

"I assume that the survivor went missing," Ameno said.

"Just like the others that have happened all over the globe," Hanwi added.

"Chances are whoever did this is long gone by now," Ouranos said. "Even if we use Blacklight's massive information network, we'd be hardpressed to find them. The patterns of attack locations are random. The only consistent MO we've seen from the murders have been one member taken."

"Yes, except that they might stay here," Hanwi said.

"Explain," Ameno said, placing her mug down.

"That girl. She's Lily Hofferson, right? The missing child from the UK," Hanwi said. "I'm sure as hell that whoever is taking them as probably aware of her presence here. The girl isn't exactly hiding her signature."

"They can't sense her when she's near our apartment complex. We have high-grade cloaking spells hiding our powers even from the Dragon Gods themselves," Ameno said.

"But outside of it," Hanwi said. "She's been out before right?"

Amenominakanushi and Ouranos went silent. The girl had been out in town with Issei to go buy groceries on several occasions and sometimes, to go to the park that was located a couple of minutes from where the apartment was. And if she wasn't cloaked and didn't know how to cloak herself, then that meant that she was a living beacon.

"They were most likely tracking her this whole time," Hanwi said.

"So what do we do?" Ameno asked.

"We tell Cornelius," Ouranos said.

"Cornelius is busy with preparations if Issei accepts his offer," Ameno said.

"But this takes precedence," Hanwi said. "I've been doing some digging through the other cases and found something. One of the houses that were raided by the culprits was next to a house with a CCTV and it caught the whole thing. But, you need to watch carefully. It's there for a few seconds before the camera feed blurs due to interference."

Hanwi pulled out her phone, a black iPhone 11 Pro-Max, and showed them the video. Ouranos and Ameno watched carefully as the video showed two people coming out. A man with black hair and a woman with red hair. There was a sack slung over the man's back. The two conversed for a few seconds before the two of them turned to the camera, revealing their golden eyes. Ouranos and Ameno's jaws dropped at the sight. It was those two.

"That's impossible," Amenominakanushi said.

"I know," Hanwi said as she put her phone away.

"To think that it's them. Gremory and Sitri," Ouranos said.

"Didn't Gremory die during the battle of Sinai when Sandalphon killed her? And Sitri was slain by the Seraph Metatron" Ameno asked.

"It seems that we were wrong," Hanwi said. "Those two are still very much alive and they're kidnapping people for some unknown purpose."

"Nephilim. All of them are Nephilim," Ouranos said.

"We can only assume so considering that Angelic Energy was present," Hanwi said.

"But why?" Ameno asked.

"Remember, they're not the only ones still active. Do you remember World War II when Blacklight's Ten Chapter Heads, the Divine Ten, had most of its members killed off?" Ouranos said.

The two nodded.

"One of the Seven Prime Demons was behind it," Ouranos said darkly. "The Lord of Hunger, Beelzebub."

"So, you think that they might be working for Beelzebub?" Hanwi asked.

"Just a guess," he replied.

"Well, no matter who it is they're working for. We need to nip this rose in the bud before it grows," Hanwi said. "Thanks for the coffee but I need to be off. I have… some cases to file through."

The two nodded as she began to walk out. Before she left, she turned to look at them. "Tell the Red Dragon to be careful with the child. Who knows what might happen later today."

"We will," Ameno said as she walked out.

"What do we do now?" Ouranos asked.

"Impose a curfew and prevent anyone from leaving later. Judging from the pattern of the killings, they all take place at night away from the eyes of people during the day. We will keep the girl safe that way," Ameno said.

"That will be a hard thing to enforce considering who her guardian is at the moment," Ouranos said.

"We'll say that it's for her safety," she said.

"Let's hope that Cornelius or Dantalion don't do anything stupid like assign them a mission or something," Ouranos said.

* * *

Issei took a bite out of his sandwich as Tohka told a story of the time she and Mica were neck-deep in a horde of Empousa while a Thunderbird was attacking them during the Second Titanomachy in the US. The story was ridiculous in places such as the detail of Tohka summoning an asteroid from the Asteroid Belt and smashing it down on the field to when Mica described how many of the Empousa he had killed which led to the situation they were in right now.

"NO! I KILLED MORE! ALL YOU DID WAS FLAIL AROUND LIKE A DYING FISH!" Tohka screamed in his face.

"YEAH RIGHT THUNDER THIGHS! I KILLED MORE AND SLEW THAT THUNDERBIRD! ALL YOU DID WAS SPARKLE LIKE A DAMN FIRECRACKER WHILE THE EMPOUSA SWARMED US!" Mica yelled.

"YOU WANNA GO FLEABAG!" Tohka said.

"YEAH! YOU! ME! OUTSIDE BIRDBRAIN!" Mica screamed back.

"Oh dear," Ingvild said, placing her hand on her forehead as she tried to hide from the stairs of her fellow students. Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina sat there awkwardly as the two began to go at each other. A heavy pressure fell across the entire cafeteria as their aura began to manifest. Lightning crackled outside and winds began to batter the school.

The ground shook, sending students into a panic as they ducked under the tables.

"Earthquake!" one of the staff yelled.

Tohka and Mica glared intensely at each other as sparks flew between them. They raised their fists and sent them flying at each other.

Their attacks were stopped by Lisa, who appeared between the two and caught their fists. A massive shockwave flew across the entire cafeteria, shattering the windows.

"What are you two doing?" Lisa asked as she began to crush their fists. Tohka and Mica squeaked in pain as she tightened her grip.

"N- Nothing Ms. D'Arc!" Mica stuttered out in fear.

"Y- Yeah! Mica and I were just playing a rousing game of Bloody Knuckles right Mikey!" Tohka said.

"That's right Toh!" Mica said.

Lisa narrowed her eyes and let go of their hands. The two gods rubbed their knuckles in pain before yelping as Lisa tugged on their ears.

"If I ever see you two trying to destroy school property again, I will kick your asses seven ways to Sunday. Do you understand?" she said lowly.

"YES MA'AM!" the two exclaimed. Lisa released their ears and looked at the terrified crowd. She sighed and formed a violet magic circle as an iridescent mist formed over the room. Their eyes dulled before everyone blinked and looked around confused.

"Why are we under the tables?" a student asked.

"You six, come with me," Lisa said as she began to walk out of the cafeteria. The six of them looked at each other and shrugged before following her.

"We have received a report that there was a murder in town. Now, normally, we would let the police handle this but there were traces of demonic energy detected so you six are going to go find it. Thoth believes that it's a Stray Devil," Lisa said.

"You want us to take it out when we find it?" Tohka asked.

"Yes, to prevent more murders from happening. We're nixing this in the bud," Lisa said.

"Do you know where it is?" Irina asked.

"At the moment, no. Which is why you're using these," Lisa said, reaching into the air and opening a rift.

"What are these?" Issei asked as he caught a small phone.

"Miasma Detectors. The energy of Devils is known as Miasma and this thing will allow you to detect minute amounts of it that have been used. That way, you can find them by tracking the location of its most recent use of Miasma," Lisa said.

"Like UV light to catch liquids that have evaporated but the stain is still there, just invisible to the naked eye," Ingvild said to Issei.

"Good, you're all starting when class ends. Ingvild, Tohka, Mica, you can go. You three. I need to talk to you in private," Lisa said. Tohka, Mica, and Ingvild looked between Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki and Lisa before nodding and walking off.

"Um, D'Arc-san? Did we do something?" Irina asked.

"No, I was wondering. Have you thought of my father's offer?" Lisa asked.

"I have," Issei said.

"And?" Lisa asked.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I still have a life to think about and now, I might have a child to raise," Issei said. "Needlessly putting my life in danger over and over again might put a hamper on that if I die."

Lisa sent him a small smile and nodded.

"I understand. Well, the offer's always up for you if you want it. How about you two?" Lisa said, turning to Irina and Mitsuki.

"I'll have to agree with Issei," Irina said. "I'm already part of Heaven's forces and the delegate to Kuoh so having missions on top of that will be… incompatible with my current lifestyle."

"I'll do it," Mitsuki said. The two turned to look at her in surprise.

"Really? I thought you'd agree with your brother," Lisa said.

"I do agree but what you guys do keeps the world relatively safe. It took centuries for the other pantheons to come to an agreement and work together but you guys, you managed to put together people from different backgrounds and have them work as a single unit that saves people. For example, you saved a lot of Natives here from genocide during westward expansion as well as help the Native American Gods fight off the Greco-Roman Pantheon. I'd like to be a part of that," Mitsuki said.

"Hmm, I see. Well, welcome to Blacklight, Mitsuki Hyoudou," Lisa said. "We'll formalize your induction later when you finish this mission but from this point on, you're a member of the Organization. Congratulations. For now, I'll be your superior officer."

"Glad to be here," Mitsuki said, holding out her hand. Lisa smiled and shook it.

"Are you sure about this, Mii-chan? What about Seekvaira?" Issei asked.

"I'll ask her for permission to take the High-Class Devil Exam," Mitsuki said. "And besides, I'm relatively free to do what I want so no worries there, Aniki!"

"Just… be careful," Issei said. "I know I can't stop you from joining but… be careful. I don't want an agent to show up at our house with a folded flag."

"You have so little confidence in me, Aniki! If anything, the only way I'll die is saving your sorry ass," Mitsuki said.

"Bitch," Issei said.

"Jerk," Mitsuki replied.

"You two will never change," Irina commented as she watched the interaction between the two twins.

"That's right because," Issei said.

"Us twins will," Mitsuki added.

"Always know what the other is thinking," they both finished simultaneously.

"I've never seen male-female twins as close as you two," Lisa said.

"We weren't always this close," Mitsuki said.

"But things change," Issei finished.

"Hmph. Well, I'll be off. Have a good rest of your day, you three," Lisa said, waving them goodbye as she walked off.

"I still can't believe you joined," Issei said as he watched Lisa turn the corner.

"I still can't believe you refused," Mitsuki retorted.

"And I can't believe it's not butter but seriously, let's get to class you two," Irina said as she began to walk away.

"Hey, wait up!" the twins said as they walked rapidly to catch up with their twin-tailed friend.

After they left, a figure came out of the corner.

"So, that's the first?" Gremory said, licking her lips. "Oh, I might have fun with you right after I finish this mission of mine."

She chuckled evilly before walking away.

* * *

"What are we doing here?" Natalia asked as she followed her father to the gates of Gremory Manor.

"Well, as the new Head of House Naamah, I'm introducing you to the heads of another house so they can show you the ropes on how managing a house is. Especially since you inherited the territory left behind by Princess Lilith," Ajuka said as he rang the buzzer at the gates.

"But why the Gremorys? I feel like you're trying to get me killed, old man," Natalia said.

"Because why not? Now might be the perfect time to make your case to Lord and Lady Gremory rather than have that can of worms be opened in the future," her father said.

"I guess," Natalia said.

A maid answered the gates and led them inside. If she was honest, Natalia was rather awed by the size and elegance of the Gremory Mansion. Her mind raced through a dozen thoughts as she took in the lavish scenery before her.

_If Tou-san had managed to make the Underworld safe for us, would we be living in a house like this?_ She thought as she crossed through the threshold of the door.

"Ajuka!"

She turned and saw Sirzechs descending from the stairs. Her father smiled and waved.

"Sirzechs," he said. Sirzechs turned and bowed. "Naamah-dono."

She bowed respectfully in return. "Greetings Lucifer-sama."

"Please, just call me Sirzechs," the Crimson Satan said, waving off her politeness.

"I'd rather not. I'm still not comfortable around you to refer to you so casually," Natalia said, lifting her head.

"Natalia!" Ajuka scolded.

"What?" she said.

"It's alright, Ajuka. I understand where she's coming from. Despite not being the one behind Seilah's death, I still… slaughtered her clan," Sirzechs said.

"That's right," Natalia said. "And the slaughter of innocent children is something I do not condone, Lucifer-sama."

Sirzechs' eyes widened as guilt coursed through his body. He bowed his head in silence. Ajuka was about to reprimand Natalia when Sirzechs did something that shocked both of them. He got down on his hands and knees and prostrated himself before the girl, touching his forehead to the ground.

"If there's anything I can do to even begin making up for the atrocity that I have committed, I shall do it if it is within my power to do so," he said.

"Um, p- please lift your head, Lucifer-sama," Natalia said.

Sirzechs did as she instructed and stood.

"I don't know how you can make it up since Kaa-san was the one who lost her family and I had no relation to them nor did I know them but… if you could find someone to help me begin rebuilding my family's territory, that would be a start," she said.

"I shall try and get someone to help you with that but know that you have my political support," Sirzechs said. "It'll be my atonement for killing your clan."

"To be fair, they did kill your sister," Natalia said.

"But I knew they were just following orders and I could have been satisfied with killing the killer but I… targeted your clan and killed most of them," Sirzechs said.

A silence fell upon the fore of the house before the sounds of footsteps were heard. Grayfia came into view as she descended the stairs followed by Zeoticus, Venelana, and Rias. The moment Rias locked eyes with Natalia, Rias's eyes flashed blue before fading.

Natalia looked at her with guilt in her eyes.

"Shall we take this into the family room?" Zeoticus said as he looked between his daughter and the new head of the Naamah House.

"Wait," Natalia said. She walked up to Rias, and in a manner similar to Sirzechs, she prostrated herself in front of the girl, shocking everyone.

"Gremory-dono. I have committed a grave sin against you and despite it not being of my will, I still performed the act. If there is anything that I can do within my power as recompense. I shall do it. Be it serving as your handmaiden or if you wish to take Eren as your newest pawn, so be it. But please, whatever punishment you decide, please take it out on me," Natalia said.

Rias looked shocked as the girl practically gave herself over to her. Rias felt awkward. Sure, she didn't like the girl but she wasn't prepared for this.

"Yatogami-sensei. I… can never forget what you did and I can never forgive it either. Whether or not you had a choice, you were the driving force in my break up with Issei. But, I'm willing to move forward with you if you take that step with me. This will always be part of our relationship from now on but I'm willing to take a step forward if you'll let me," Rias said. "For the future of my House."

Natalia looked up at Rias in slight shock.

"I will," Natalia said.

"This will be rough. I admit. I detest the sight of you at the moment so please bear with me if I seem ambivalent about our present situation," Rias said.

"It's okay. I came here to see your parents for tips on how to run a house," Natalia said.

"Oh, well, if you would," Zeoticus said.

"R- Right," Natalia said as she and Ajuka followed the Gremory Family into their main living room.

* * *

**Sioux Falls, SD, 4:45 PM**

* * *

"So where do we start?" Issei asked as he sat on the couch with Lily on his lap.

"Hmm, Lisa said that the victim lived on Auburn Street so we might as well start there," Tohka said.

"Where are you going, Issei?" Lily asked as she looked up at him with her big bluish-green eyes.

"Oh, we're just going out for the night to have some fun," Issei said.

"Can I come with you?" Lily asked.

"I'm sorry, Lils, but you need to get sleep because we're leaving early tomorrow," Irina said.

"Aww, you guys never spend time with me anymore. Did I do something bad?" Lily asked.

Everyone felt guilt stab at their hearts at her tone.

"No, no, Lils! It's just. We're going to a haunted house with ghosts!" Ingvild said, trying to scare the girl.

"G- Ghosts?" Lily asked in a frightened tone as she gripped Issei's shirt for comfort.

"Y- Yes!" Issei said. "There are ghosts!"

Lily began to whimper in fear as she latched herself onto Mitsuki, who looked at Ingvild and her twin with a small glare as she hugged the little girl.

"Don't worry, Lily-chan! Onee-chan will protect you from the bad ghosts!" Mitsuki said, smiling.

"Really?" Lily asked.

"Pinky promise!" Mitsuki said, holding out her pinky.

Lily giggled as she wrapped her small finger around Mitsuki's.

"Cross my heart and hope to eat cake!" Mitsuki said. Issei's eyes widened as a memory came to the forefront of his mind.

* * *

"_Onee-chan! Look! Look!" a young Issei said excitedly as he held up a piece of paper. A woman with hair as white as the arctic snow stopped her work and looked down at Issei with a confused look. Upon seeing the paper, she smiled gently and took it._

"_Ara ara, Issei-chan is such a great artist," she said as she looked at the drawing. The drawing consisted of Issei which was labeled Issei and a stick figure with white hair which she assumed was her._

"_You want to be like your Onee-chan don't you?" the woman said as she pinned the drawing to her wall._

"_Mhm! One day, I'll be as great as you, Onee-chan!" Issei said._

"_Oh, well, we'll have to see then, won't we? Issei-chan!" she said, poking Issei in the forehead._

_Issei's tiny hands went up to his head as he touched the spot where she poked him._

"_Mou!" Issei said as he pouted and looked away from her, refusing to make eye contact._

"_Aww," the woman said. "I'm sorry. Tell you what. I'll finish this and then, we'll go get some ice cream before your parents get back from your sister's piano recital."_

"_Promise," Issei said._

_The woman smiled gently as she held her pinky out. Issei smiled brightly and wrapped his pinky around hers._

"_I cross my heart and hope to eat cake!" the woman said._

"_You're so silly, Onee-chan," Issei giggled._

"_Aww, you're gonna make your Lili-nee-chan cry!"_

"_I'm sorry!" Issei said as he hugged her._

"_Just kidding!" Lili said, smiling mischievously._

"_ONEE-CHAN!"_

* * *

"Aniki!"

Issei snapped out of his memories when he heard his twin sister yelling at him.

"Huh?" Issei said.

"I said if you want to leave Lily here with Amenominakanushi-sama and Ouranos-sama!" Mitsuki said.

"It's alright," Ameno said as she walked into the room with a plate of snacks. "You kids go have fun but remember… 7:00. Be back by then," she said.

"Er… right," Tohka said.

"That means you too, Tohka," Ameno said.

"Okay, mom," Tohka said in an exasperated manner.

"Thanks for the food, Auntie," Ingvild and Mica said as they grabbed a cookie.

"It's no problem," Ameno said. "You kids have fun okay!"

"Alright, so we have three hours," Mica said as he leaned back on the couch.

"Three hours to go look around," Ingvild said. "It's five right now so we have two hours."

"Then, we have no time to lose," Mitsuki said.

"Alright. Lily, can you stay here a bit longer with Auntie Ameno and Uncle Ouranos while me and Onee-chan go and get rid of the bad ghosts?" Issei asked.

Lily nodded reluctantly as Issei gently took her off his lap.

"Alright, guys. Let's go," Issei said.

* * *

"Whose bright idea was it to split up anyway?" Mitsuki complained as she sifted through the attic of the house. Her gloves were dusty as she picked up an old album and tossed it to the side.

"If I distinctly recall, it was your brother," Ingvild said as she moved some old photo books out of the way.

"Did you find anything?" Mitsuki asked.

"No, not in particular. Just some old family albums and some toys from the older sibling," Ingvild replied as she opened one of the photo albums. A woman with blonde hair holding a baby with brown down on its head made her smile.

"Huh, the dad was ex-marine," Mitsuki said as she pulled up a picture of an African-American man wearing a uniform that was decorated with several medals.

"Really?" Ingvild peeked over Mitsuki's shoulder. "Huh, so he was."

"Do you think that this could all just be one joke and that this could be one of the enemies the dad made while he was on tour?" Mitsuki asked as she placed the photo down.

"I don't think so. Traces of Miasma were found here so it could only be a devil," Ingvild said.

"What if the Stray was contracted? Some people resort to contracting strays with magic," Mitsuki said.

"That's a possibility," Ingvild said. "Ah, hello!" Ingvild moved a few books out of the way and saw a black lockbox hidden underneath.

"A lockbox? Wonder what's inside," Mitsuki said.

"We should open this with the others," Ingvild said as she grabbed it.

"Right. I'll call them," Mitsuki said. She formed a CC and called her brother.

"_Yeah_," Issei said across the channel.

"Aniki, Ingvild and I found something," Mitsuki said.

"_Alright. I'll get Tohka and Mica and meet up with you in the living room_," Issei said.

"Right," she answered as she swiped away the CC.

"So what did you guys find?" Mica said as he sat down on the hardwood floor. Ingvild placed the box down in front of her.

"It's a lockbox. Wanna crack it open for me O' Trickster God?" Ingvild said, glancing at Mica.

"Why me?"

"Because you're good at picking locks."

"Just use magic."

"No."

"Yes."

"I'll do it!" Tohka said as she destroyed the lock. "Geez, it's not that hard."

"Huh? A photo?" Issei said, plucking out an old photograph. "It must be the couple who lived here."

The photo depicted an African American man and a caucasian woman with light blonde hair, caressing a swollen belly.

"She's pregnant," Issei said as he looked at the photo.

"Yeah, among other things," Tohka said, pulling out a grimoire. Inside the lockbox were several vials of dried up plants, animal bones, and several bottles of unknown liquids.

"A mage," Mica said. "One of them was a mage."

"But which one is the question of the ages," Ingvild said.

"It's the wife," Irina said as she read a black-bound leather journal. "She summoned a Demon to resurrect her husband after he was killed in a home invasion."

"A Devil?" Mitsuki said, leaning over to see what Irina was reading.

"No, it says Demon," Irina said. "_I can't live without him. I can't allow my child to live without him so I need to take a leap. Mother spoke of demons who can grant wishes in exchange for a price. I will pay any price I can in order to have him back. I have to."_

"So she summoned a Devil and sold her soul?" Tohka asked.

"No, that practice was abolished a long time ago," Issei said. "Something else is up."

"Hmmm… Oh here!" Irina said. "_It was a deal that suspiciously went in my favor. In a couple of years, all I had to do was stand aside and let him into the house for a few minutes before leaving. I took it of course. Whatever he could want, it can't be worse than this."_

"What do you think?" Issei asked.

"Hmmm, this was a contract but I assume that this woman already fulfilled her end of the deal. Look, there are two pictures of two children so this attack wasn't linked to the devil she made a deal with all those years ago," Mica said.

"Well, this was a waste of time. There's no stray devil here," Irina said as she placed the journal down.

"We should put this back. Just in case the police come back," Mitsuki said.

As the group walked out of the house, they were oblivious to the pair of yellow eyes watching their every movement. Gremory sat on the roof of one of the houses down the street from the house of her latest target. When her eyes fell upon Issei, she licked her lips seductively as she looked him up and down.

"He may look average but I have to admit… my descendant had taste," Gremory said as she stared intensely at Issei.

"_Gremory_," a voice called out. Gremory recognized that voice. The Black Hand of Lilith herself. She gritted her teeth and responded.

"What is it Naamah?" Gremory barked in an annoyed tone.

"_Hmph. Don't talk to me like that Imouto-yo. Beelzebub is currently busy attending to something Leviathan called him for in our Princess's healing pod so I am to relay this message to you. Bring the child here or face the consequences," _ Naamah said over the relay.

"Fine, I already have an idea of where the girl is anyway," Gremory said in an annoyed tone as she stood. Her eyes never left the group as they piled into Mica's van.

"_I hope for your sake that you complete this mission. Remember that Beelzebub is one of the Seven Prime Demons and one of the Four Original Maou,"_ Naamah said.

"Yeah, yeah," Gremory said as she severed the link.

Gremory transformed into a funnel of smoke and followed Mica's van from a distance back to the apartment. Her glowing yellow eyes darted to the approaching building of the apartment and saw _her_ from one of the windows. Gremory darted ahead of the truck and weaved around the apartment and found her way of entry. An open window on the third floor. She slipped through and manifested inside the apartment.

"Now, little girl," Gremory said as she walked out the door. "Let's pick up where we left off shall we?"

Gremory slinked down the hallway, suppressing her power down to the barest minimum, making herself nearly indistinguishable from humans. She slinked down the halls to avoid the sight of Ouranos and Amenominakanushi, who she had sensed earlier when she arrived in town. Following Lily's Miasma Signature, she found herself on the third floor of the apartment building and stood outside a room.

A sadistic grin made its way to her face as she turned into black smoke and slipped underneath the doors.

Lily sat on the couch watching another episode of _Miraculous Ladybug_. The nice lady, Ameno, as she had heard her be called, had gone outside to meet up with Issei and Mitsuki. The other man, she couldn't pronounce his name, Orange, had gone to go buy some pizza for dinner since it was her last day so she was alone in the apartment room.

A cold chill went down the seven-year old's spine as fear coursed through her body. She slowly turned around and began to cry when she saw her.

"Hello little girl," Gremory said as she relished the fear she saw on Lily's face. "Do you remember me? I was the one who made your big brother explode into tiny pieces."

"...," Lily whimpered as she fell off the couch and began to backpedal.

"There's no use in running anymore, Little Girl. This time, I will bring you with me," Gremory said as she reached out to grab her.

* * *

"All I'm saying is that the pineapple goes well with the pizza. The fruit just plays so well with the ham and the cheese and the tomato," Mica said.

"Of course you'd say that. I'm an epicurean. If I said that calzones were good if they were filled with strawberry jam, you'd wolf them down like a bunch of tic tacs," Tohka argued.

Ingvild, Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki looked at the two in an exasperated manner. Mitsuku giggled behind her hand as she watched her Tohka argue with her best friend.

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the apartment.

"Lily!" Issei said as he ran for Tohka's apartment room. As he reached the door, a massive blast of frost tore the door off its hinges and blasted a massive hole in the apartment building. Everything outside of it was frozen for several hundred feet.

Issei ran past the ruined door and saw Lily sitting on the floor, eyes wide in terror as tears streamed down her face. Issei ran over and grabbed her, causing the little girl to cling to him tightly. He looked over and saw the frozen form of a woman with her arm outstretched to grab her.

"You're going to be okay," Issei soothed. The others came running over and saw the damage.

"Our apartment!" Tohka yelled.

"Tohka," Mica said as he pointed at the frozen woman in the living room. Tohka and Ingvild looked over at the frozen form of a woman. They stiffened as they summoned their weapons.

"Issei," Ingvild said as her eyes flashed crimson.

"Yeah," Issei said. He turned to Lily. "Lily, go get help!"

"But-!"

"Lily now's not the time," Mitsuki said as she covered her hands in blue energy, forming ethereal wrist blades.

Lily looked between the two and closed her eyes. She ran out of the room, leaving the others.

The sound of cracking ice caught their attention as they saw fissures appear on the frozen statue. Black smoke poured out of the statue and coalesced before them into a humanoid shape. Yellow orbs of light unnerved them as it stared back at them with malevolent glee.

Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina's eyes widened when they saw the figure's figure fully form. She had long blood-red hair with a fringe covering her right eye. Her skin was smooth and fair. She had a voluptuous figure. The woman wore a black jacket with a beige cardigan underneath and black pants with black shoes.

"Rias?" Irina asked cautiously as she tightened her grip on Hauteclere.

"Rias? Oh no, I'm not Rias," the woman said.

"Then who are you?" Issei asked, summoning **[Boosted Gear]**.

**[Gremory]** Ddraig growled at the woman.

"Oh? You know me? Hmm, judging by that gauntlet… hehe, Red Dragon! I never thought that I would encounter you while on this mission!" Gremory laughed as a red aura enveloped her. Everyone was sent sliding back as the force of Gremory's Miasma slammed into them.

"What?" Irina said as she dug Hauteclere into the floor to prevent from being blown off her feet.

"This power! It's on par with Satan Class Devils and Minor Gods!" Mitsuki said.

"While I would love nothing more than to fight you and capture you, that's not my job," Gremory said. "So if I may excuse myself."

"Like hell!" Issei said as he dashed forward. He threw a **[Boosted**] punch at Gremory's face with the intent of taking her head off.

Gremory grinned and her lone eye glowed. Her form flickered out of existence and Issei's eyes widened when his fist made contact with Irina's torso.

"GAH!" Irina coughed up blood as she was sent into the wall.

"Irina!" Issei ran over and knelt next to her. He turned and saw Gremory in the spot where Irina had formerly been, grinning.

Tohka slashed her dagger at Gremory, forcing the Demon to dodge while Mica came at her back with a tomahawk. Her form flickered again and Mica's weapon broke a pot.

"What's happening?" Issei asked as he supported an injured Irina.

**[It's her damned eyes. The Gremory Clan's Power of Sight or their Perception. The Eyes in their initial stages aren't that bad but Gremory's are fully evolved and a fully evolved eye possesses different unique powers. Hers is the Axial Gaze. It allows her to warp the space around her and teleport or swap places with anything within her field of vision]** Ddraig said.

"Damnit! So that's how I hit Irina instead of her," Issei said.

"As much fun as this is," Gremory said as she deflected one of Mitsuki's blades. She kicked the girl in the torso, sending her crashing into Ingvild and canceling her water spell. "I have a child to abduct."

She raised her palm and blasted Tohka and Mica with a blast of concussive energy, sending them through a wall.

"Not on my watch," Issei said.

**[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker]** Ddraig announced. Issei was clad in crimson armor and dashed towards her. Gremory dodged his punch and flickered out of existence, swapping with a piece of plywood. She slammed her elbow into Issei's back, sending him through the floor and into the unit below.

"Hmph," Gremory turned around and felt an immense burning pain. She looked down and saw a yellow light spear sticking out of her torso.

"That… was for earlier," Irina said, clutching her stomach with her right hand and her left hand extended in a throwing motion.

"Tch," Gremory placed her hand on the light spear and pulled it out. She twirled it around before shattering it with her bare hands. The hole in Gremory's abdomen began to hiss as black smoke began to rise from it as the wound rapidly closed.

"Just for that," Gremory raised her hand and Irina felt herself being crushed by an invisible force. She was lifted off the ground. "You will die after I have some fun with you."

Gremory began to close her fist, causing Irina to scream in pain as she felt her bones being ground to dust.

"HAHAHA! That's right! Scream for me!" Gremory cackled.

"You know. Home Invasions are frowned upon in all parts of the world," a voice said next to her.

"Huh?" Gremory's head fell to the ground and rolled to a stop by the doorway. Her grip on Irina vanished and the angel fell to the floor, barely conscious. She looked up and saw Eric holding a massive black broadsword.

"You okay kid?" Eric asked.

"Irina!" Lily ran out from behind Eric.

"Lily," Irina said with a bloody smile.

"Where are the others?" Eric asked.

"We're fine," Tohka said as she walked through the wall. She was being supported by Mica.

"The bitch blasted us with something. I think my ribs are broken," Mica said.

"Aniki?" Mitsuki groaned as she got up.

"I'm down here!"

They all looked over at the hole that led down to the first floor.

"Hey!" Issei said as he lay on top of a pile of rubble.

"How did you find us?" Tohka asked.

"When you guys left for your mission, Hanwi contacted us and let us know that the Original Gremory was in town. Lisa tried to find you guys at the crime scene and I came here. Lucky right?" Eric said.

"Yeah," Irina replied.

"And as for you!" Eric raised his arm and formed a shield, deflecting a blast of energy. "So the stories from Dantalion were true. You bastards are hard to put down. Decapitation doesn't even kill you."

"Dantalion?" a warped voice said as black smoke swirled around Gremory's headless body. She shakily stood to her feet as bone formed, followed by tissues and nerves and finally, Gremory's skin and hair. She opened her eyes revealing whites before her pupils rolled back down.

"She's working with you? Interesting…," Gremory said as she cricked her neck. She sighed in satisfaction when she heard it pop.

"Why are you here?" Eric asked. His hand went to his pistol.

"Oh, you know. Kill a few families and kidnap their kids. Tis the job I am currently burdened with. Haven't you been following BBC World News?" Gremory asked cheekily.

"Why are you taking them?" Eric said.

"Now that would be telling… unless," Gremory walked over and traced her finger across his chest. "You could give me something in return for it~"

"Cover your ears," Eric said to Mitsuki and Ingvild. The two looked confused before Ingvild's eyes widened and her hands went to her ears. Seeing this, Mitsuki followed suit.

"Get your hands off my man," a voice said from behind Gremory.

"Or what?" Gremory asked, turning around to meet the owner of the voice.

Lisa stood behind Gremory with a small grin.

"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,_" Lisa began. Gremory's entire body flickered as she gripped her head in pain.

"_Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica,_" she continued. Gremory stumbled backward, falling to one knee as she cried out in pain. She raised her hand to attack Lisa when Eric's blade swung down, severing it from her body.

"_Ergo, omnis legio diabolica, adiuramus te... cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare…,_" Eric said. Gremory looked at them with hate as she screamed in pain. Her eyes began to glow yellow as her body began to lose its form.

"_Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis... Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine... quem inferi tremunt... Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos_," the two finished in unison. Gremory screamed as her body dispersed into a whirl of dark smoke that shot into the air, dispersing into a wave of golden flames.

"Hmph. No one… can touch you but me," Lisa said as she grabbed Eric's ear and began pulling.

"OW OW! I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A CHOICE!" Eric yelped in pain.

"Still," Lisa pouted.

"Our apartment!"

Everyone turned and saw Ouranos and Amenominakanushi standing at the door with the pizza.

"Ummm," everyone pointed at the hole.

"WHY ME!?" Issei cried out, already knowing what they did.

* * *

"So kid," Cornelius said, walking up to Issei. His travel bags were next to him as he stood by a massive circular gate. "This is it."

Issei looked towards Irina and Mitsuki, who were saying goodbye to Tohka, Mica, and Ingvild. Eric and Lisa patted Mitsuki on the back, congratulating her on her induction into the organization. Ouranos and Amenominakanushi looked at them with smiles on their faces.

"Hey Mr. D'Arc?" Issei asked.

"None of that Mister stuff. Call me Cornelius," Cornelius said.

"Is it too late for me to accept? I know what I said to your daughter earlier but… this attack made me reconsider things," Issei said.

"Hmm? Of course. The offer's always on the table," Cornelius said, grinning.

"WHAT!? Then why did I have a deadline?" Issei asked.

"Because when you go back, you'll be busy right? For that tournament with the godawful name?" Cornelius asked.

"Oh… still, I wouldn't have forgotten," Issei said.

"Sure, but what made you reconsider?" Cornelius asked.

"I… just want to keep them safe," Issei said.

"Can you not do that with the help of the Satans?" Cornelius asked.

"I can but… that would place a bigger target on their backs more than anything. Association with powerful figures… can make you and those you love targets for others," Issei said. "And I want to know more."

"More?"

"About them. Gremory, when she was fighting Eric, said that the burden of kidnapping kids was assigned to her. And I want to know who. I also have a personal stake in this because… they're after me too," Issei said.

Cornelius remained silent. After a few seconds, Issei looked up at him, fully expecting the older man to reject him but instead, Cornelius smiled.

"Do you know why Eric joined Blacklight?" Cornelius asked.

"No," Issei replied, shaking his head.

"His family was slaughtered by vampires. When he met Lisa, my daughter, and they fell in love, Eric vowed to get stronger to protect her, not knowing that she was doing the same for him. So when I saw him killing some werewolves that were about to rape a young girl and boy, I offered him membership. I told him that it would help him better protect others, both those he loves and innocent people. He accepted," Cornelius said. "So you're not the first to join this organization with the intent of protecting those around you and frankly, it's a rare trait to see these days. Welcome to Blacklight, Issei."

Cornelius extended his hand towards Issei.

"Thank you! You won't regret having me here!" Issei said, shaking his hand.

"Issei! Come on!" Irina said as she and Mitsuki stood by the gate with Lily.

Morgana shot Issei a knowing smile.

"Congratulations on your induction, Issei," Morgana said.

"Eh?" Irina and Mitsuki looked at her with a blank look on their faces. Mitsuki blinked for a few seconds before breaking out in an excited smile. She glomped Issei, rubbing her cheek on her twin brother's as Issei tried to get out of her grip.

"Oh Aniki! You joined too! We can be the greatest tag team in the organization now!" Mitsuki said.

"Mii-chan! I can't breathe!" Issei said as he tried to push her off.

"You joined?" Irina asked.

"Yeah," Issei said.

"Why?"

"Because I want to keep you safe," Issei said.

"I can take care of myself, Issei," Irina said, placing her hands on her hips. She looked at him challengingly.

"Yeah, I know. But it makes me feel better. Besides, wouldn't it be cool to have a boyfriend who's part of a top-secret global agency?" Issei said, smirking.

"You know what's cooler? Having a girlfriend in that same agency with you. I'm joining, Mister D'Arc," Irina said, turning to him.

"Oh, what a surprising turn of events," Cornelius said.

"Why?" Morgana asked.

"I know these two better than you guys and since you mentioned having a branch in Japan, me being there keeps your branch from being wiped off the planet whenever these two go at it in a fight," Irina said.

"Hmm, I guess that's fair," Cornelius said. "I'd hate to receive a call from Taki about rebuilding the base."

"I know that you're joining for another reason," Lisa said to her. She leaned into her ear. "It's for him isn't it?"

Irina's face began to turn red as she looked down at the floor.

Lisa threw her head back and laughed.

"Ah, young love," Morgana said.

"Oh, that's right. Ingvild, are you ready?" Cornelius said.

"I'm ready, Chapter Head sir!" Ingvild said as she summoned her bags.

"What's going on?" Tohka asked.

"Ingvild here is being relocated to Japan to help Issei and his friends settle into their new positions. She's essentially getting promoted to being… what's that word? Senpai? Yes, Ingvild is their senpai," Cornelius said.

"Is this an assignment?" Mica asked.

"Of sorts. It's a reassignment," Morgana said.

"I'm sorry guys," Ingvild said. "I really wanted to join your team, Lisa."

"It's alright Ingvild," Lisa said.

"Ingy! I'll miss you!" Tohka said, hugging her and sobbing.

"I can teleport," Ingvild said, sweatdropping.

"I know, but it'll be a bore not having you around," Mica said.

"Looks like I'm staying with you! Please take care of me, Issei-san~!" Ingvild said, bowing. Her chest bounced slightly catching Issei's attention. A small trickle of blood made its way down his nose.

"Yeah," Issei said, trying to keep his perversion down. Unfortunately for him, a certain someone already knew what he was thinking.

"Staring at other girls while you're dating me and you don't even bother to ask?"

Issei ee'ped. Irina stood behind him with several light spears floating behind her. An insane smile on her face.

"Cornelius!" Issei said as he ran towards the circular gate.

Morgana sighed and waved for Eric. He walked over to a control panel that was to the left of the circular gate and pulled the lever. The gate crackled to life as blue lines of energy flared brightly on the gate. A whirring sound was heard through the room, causing Irina to stop chasing Issei and look over. The air rippled and space collapsed in on itself, creating a massive blue swirling vortex.

"In you go!" Eric said. "We set the coordinates for an alley a few hundred feet from your house."

"How did you...?" Mitsuki asked.

"Find it? Google Maps," Lisa answered.

"Well, I'll see you guys later!" Issei said. Irina bowed to them.

"Thank you for having us here, Ouranos-sama. Amenominakanushi-sama!," Irina said gratefully.

Mitsuki mirrored her actions and bowed to them.

"I'll miss you guys!" Ingvild said.

"We'll miss you too, squirt," Eric said as he hugged her.

"I'll miss you too, Eric," Ingvild said.

"Remember, use Japan Branch's Warp Gate to come to visit. Or teleport. You know where our house is," Lisa said.

"We're gonna come visit you, Ingvild. Don't worry! Issei, you better take care of her!" Mica said. "Or you'll answer to us!"

Issei nodded, giving them a thumbs up.

"Wait!" they turned and saw Dantalion running towards them with several packages floating behind her. She slowed down, panting. "Ingvild," Dantalion said.

"Aunt Dana," Ingvild said.

"Have fun," Dantalion said, hugging her.

"I will, Aunt Dana," Ingvild said, hugging her back.

After the two pulled apart, everyone waved goodbye as Issei, Irina, Mitsuki, and Ingvild walked through the vortex. After they disappeared, the gate shimmered before dissipating.

"This is going to be fun, isn't it?" Cornelius said as a twinkle entered his hazel-gold eyes.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

* * *

Gremory limped into the room, clutching her arm. A scowl marred her face as her yellow eyes seethed in hatred at the two humans who humiliated her.

_Eric. Lisa. I swear. I'm going to fucking rip the skin from your bones_, Gremory thought as she walked to the healing chamber. Devils whispered as she walked past them. Annoyed, Gremory sent them a seething glance, her yellow eyes glowing in anger.

"Gremory."

Gremory froze in fear and turned around saw Beelzebub walking towards her. His yellow eyes bore into her own, robbing her of her ability to speak. Next to him was an immensely beautiful woman. She had silky, long black hair. Two curved horns adorned her head and her golden eyes looked at Gremory with some pity and amusement. She wore a white dress that failed to hide her curvaceous figure.

"B- Beelzebub. I'm s- sorry! I was blindsided by the- GAH!" Gremory spat up blood as Beelzebub planted his knee into her gut, sending her crashing into a wall.

"You will learn to face the consequences of your failure," Beelzebub said as he stretched out his hand. Gremory felt her organs being crushed as Beelzebub telekinetically lifted her into the air.

"Please… mercy," Gremory rasped out.

**Play Frieza is resurrected- Dragon Ball Super OST**

The entire building suddenly shook as a wave of power slammed into everyone. Beelzebub's eyes widened and he dropped Gremory to the ground.

"Naamah, is it…?" Beelzebub asked.

"It is~! It is~! Onee-sama~! You're awake~!" Naamah said as she shook in excitement.

"_Beelzebub!_" a voice called out.

"What is it Leviathan?" Beelzebub called.

"_Get over here now! These readings! They're off the charts!_" Leviathan called urgently.

Beelzebub gritted his teeth. "I'll deal with you later," Beelzebub said as he began to run down the hallway. Gremory felt herself being lifted. She looked over and saw Naamah holding her hand out.

"Come, let's go. You need to get patched up anyway," Naamah said as she began to run after Beelzebub, carrying Gremory in the process.

Beelzebub burst through the double doors of the healing chamber and saw a massive barrier in front of the healing pod that held a naked woman with white hair. Wires were attached to her body while a breathing apparatus was on her face.

"What's going on?" Beelzebub asked.

"She's… she's waking up. Lilith is waking up," Leviathan said in terror as he looked down at his tablet. Alarms sounded all over the compound as the walls began to crack. Lights and computer monitors exploded around them. Outside the building, dark clouds formed over the entire land, shrouding it in darkness. Lightning crashed outside as the earth shook once more.

Lilith's healing pod glowed an intense shade of violet, forcing everyone to cover their eyes as the pod exploded. A pillar of violet energy ripped through the roof of the building, bathing the land around it in its eerie violet glow.

* * *

Dantalion fell to her knees and vomited as terror wracked her entire body.

"No…," Dantalion squeaked in fear.

"Dantalion!" Lisa ran over and knelt next to her.

"We're doomed," Dantalion muttered in fear.

"Huh?" Lisa looked confused as she supported her.

"We're doomed, Lisa. We're all doomed," Dantalion said.

* * *

Leviathan and Beelzebub fell to their knees and prostrated themselves out of fear. The sound of footfalls on puddles could be heard as the two Maou kept their foreheads to the ground, their eyes closed and their bodies quaking in fear.

"It's been so long," a melodious and serene voice said from the mist. "Years of wasting away in a lab at the hands of the boy my brother sired using a piece of my flesh and then being used by Hades as a weapons factory. It's so nice to feel the air on my skin again. I will finally pay him back by ripping Persephone's skin from her bones slowly and make him watch as I break his son."

Beelzebub and Leviathan kept their heads down as she walked past them, healing fluid dripping from her naked form.

Lilith opened her eyes and smiled sadistically as six pairs of pitch-black feathered wings sprung from her back.

"Hello world, I hope you're ready. Because I'm baaack~."

* * *

**Omake: I call them Hoomans!**

* * *

A man with white hair walked nervously to the front of the table. His blue eyes flitted around nervously as he looked at the other occupants in the room. A woman with violet hair gave him a thumbs up while a man with an eagle's head smiled an avian smile. A man with green hair that looked almost as if it was blue smiled in his seat.

"Um, thank you all for coming here today," the man said.

"Get on with it, Yahweh!" a woman with green hair barked from the other end of the table.

"Don't listen to Gaia, Yahweh. Hey, Earth Bitch," the violet haired woman said, giving Gaia a dark stare. "Let him speak."

"Er, thanks Parvati," Yahweh said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Now why did you call us here?" a woman with dark skin, red eyes, and hair as white as Yahweh's asked. She looked at him with a blank stare that unnerved the other deities in the room.

"Well, do you remember when we were playing stickball with asteroids and Shiva smacked one into the Earth and killed the dinosaurs?" Yahweh asked.

"You had to bring it up," Shiva said.

"Yeah, ruin my dreams of intelligent lizard people why don't you, brother," a man with bluish-black hair said.

"Can it Vishnu," Shiva retorted.

"I present their replacements! I've been toying with the genetics of this rat!" Yahweh said, conjuring the image of small hairy possum-like rat.

"A megazostrodon?" a white-haired woman with blue eyes remarked from the back of the room. Next to her, a woman with blonde hair and a man with silver hair looked on.

"Yes, this Megazostrodon will become a species that I call hoomans!" Yahweh exclaimed.

"Hoomans?" Parvati asked.

"Yes, hoomans! They will walk upright, think for themselves, and create tools to help them!" Yahweh said.

"Sounds interesting," Shiva said as he analyzed Yahweh's proposal. "But why?"

"Come on! Don't tell me you guys are satisfied right now with watching a bunch of rats digging for roots in the ashes," Yahweh said.

"I mean...," Parvati began. "They're kinda cute."

"I tell you! Once they evolve, you won't regret it! They'll invent something called chocolate! It's going to be the best thing ever invented!" Yahweh said.

The gods muttered among themselves and nodded. Ra raised his hand.

"I have one objection," Ra said.

"Um, what is it?" Yahweh asked.

"The name. Let's changed the name. Instead of hoomans, what about humans?" Ra asked.

"Shit that's good," Yahweh said.

"I concur," a woman with teal hair and gold eyes said. She was Nammu, the Sumerian Goddess of Saltwater, and who later down the line would become conflated with Tiamat.

"Okay, I agree. Hooman is a bit... weird. So all in agreement for humans?" Yahweh asked.

"Ai!" they chorused in agreement.

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**ScrumbleNut: Hmm, I agree that a battle to reveal them would be better but I planned the battle to influence Issei's choice in joining. Other than that, I'm glad you liked the way they were introduced.**

**tjbloomer83: It was in Shin DxD Vol 4. One of the ExE Gods, Regalzeva, beheaded Great Red.**

**Anon: I already have Issei's team for the Azazel Cup planned. I have placed some hints here and there of who they are but some canon characters will be there. Roygun is the only one I'll confirm for now.**

**18Andrew: Thank you!**

* * *

**Haha! So, that was a pretty long chappie! Sorry for saying that Tiamat was going to appear this chapter but this chapter was necessary. It finally pushed Issei to join Blacklight in order to get stronger to protect those he loves as well as to find out who's sending people after him. Note that Issei will be a part of the Japanese Branch with ties to the American Branch. The Japanese Blacklight Head will make an appearance next chapter and Issei will get his new familiar. Looks like Kirin won! Yay! Issei gets a lightning unicorn! I will be using Oroshi Kirin. I hope you're all happy with a nigh-invulnerable dragon-horse that rains down bolts of lightning from the sky. If you want it to change, PM me and make a case. Anyway, remember! Review! Follow! Favorite! And remember to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!**


	15. The Azure Empress of Chaos

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, November 28, 2019, 1:00 PM, Current Time: 4 Minutes and 40 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

The silence was the only thing that could be heard in the alleyway. A stray cat bounded from one dumpster to another. The air rippled as a faint blue light appeared in the air. A whirring sound erupted in the alleyway as a blue-green vortex appeared in the air. Issei walked out of the vortex, Lily's tiny hand in his own. Next to them, Irina stretched her arms as Mitsuki and Ingvild followed them out.

"So this is Japan?" Ingvild asked as they walked out of the alley.

"We'll give you a welcome tour later but welcome to our hometown of Kuoh! The one place in the world where you'll find all the factions working as one!" Mitsuki said.

"You mean an infestation?" Ingvild clarified.

"Yeah, it's getting kind of annoying," Mitsuki said.

"So, which one's your house?" Ingvild asked Issei as they walked down the street.

"It's that one," Issei said, pointing to the massive house.

Ingvild's jaw dropped at the sight of it. She looked at Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki and weakly pointed to the large house with shocked, unblinking eyes.

"That's your house?" she asked.

"Um yeah," Issei said.

"How rich are you?" Ingvild asked.

"Well, it wasn't always like that. Rias Gremory renovated the house for us and turned it into… well, into that," Mitsuki said as they walked to the house.

"That looks hard to keep clean," Ingvild said as they approached the house.

"Well, it would be easy to clean if some people would hire a maid!" Mitsuki said, glaring at her brother.

"Hey, Tou-san and Kaa-san agree with me!" Issei said, defending himself.

"Hmph! There's something you guys agree on," Mitsuki muttered.

"Yeah, so you'll be staying here from now on! I'll prepare a room for you," Irina said.

"Thanks, Irina," Ingvild said.

Issei walked up to the front gate and pressed the buzzer. The door opened and the group walked up to the front door.

"So, who's knocking?" Issei asked.

"I'll do it," Mitsuki said. Mitsuki banged her fist on the door. "Hey, we're back! Open up!"

The door opened slowly, revealing a slightly disheveled Asia. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning. She was wearing her pajamas and her hair was all over the place. Her green eyes lit up when she was Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina.

"You're back!" Asia said.

"Did you just wake up?" Issei asked as he walked past her.

"Yeah… The training went really late so I decided to take the day off. Akeno-oneesama and the others are at school right now," Asia said as she followed them inside.

"You shouldn't be staying up all night, Asia," Mitsuki said as she placed her bags down.

"I know but this was important. So, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?" Asia asked, looking at Ingvild.

"Oh, that's right. Asia, this is Ingvild. Ingvild. Asia. She's our sister," Issei said.

"You don't look related," Ingvild said.

"I'm adopted," Asia said. "I'm Asia! Hyoudou Asia!"

"Oh, I'm Ingvild. Ingvild Leviathan," Ingvild said.

"Leviathan? You're a descendant of the Original Leviathan?" Asia asked, her body tensing slightly. Irina noticed this and placed a hand on Asia's shoulder.

"She's okay. Ingvild is nothing like Katerea Leviathan," Irina said.

Asia nodded but maintained a slight guard around the violet haired girl.

"I understand if you're wary around me because of what my cousin did and for that, I apologize," Ingvild said.

"No, no, it's fine. I shouldn't judge you based on something that your relative did. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Asia said.

"No, it's alright. I get this a lot," Ingvild said.

"Well, not here," Asia said. She turned to Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki. "I'll go show her to where she'll sleep. You guys rest up. I'm going to make a feast for your return."

"Actually, I need to do something I've been holding off for a while," Issei said. The four turned to look at him, a curious look on their faces.

"Do you remember where we kept the Phenex Tears?" Issei asked.

"Um, yeah, in the training room, why? Wait? Where are you going?" Asia asked.

"To the Familiar Forest. Tonight's a full moon so the forest will be open. Ddraig suggested that I get a second familiar, one that can think for itself," Issei said.

"That's… smart. But, what about Ryuuteimaru?" Irina asked.

"Ryuuteimaru is still my familiar, but it's not really practical for anything other than combat and transportation," Issei said. "I want a familiar that I can pet and spoil, or use as a bodyguard."

"I'll go with you," Irina interjected.

"I'll be fine-!"

"It's to keep you out of trouble. And who knows… maybe I might get one for myself," Irina said.

"Are you sure about that?" Issei asked.

"Of course. Now, let's go," Irina said.

"Um, right," Issei said.

"Be careful. I don't know if the Familiar Master will let an angel into the Familiar Forest," Asia said.

The two nodded and left in a red magic circle.

"Come on, Ingvild. I'll show you to your room," Mitsuki said, grabbing her bags.

"Wait… didn't they forget something?" Ingvild said.

"Oh… shit," Mitsuki cursed as she slapped her forehead. Her idiot brother and his girlfriend forgot to bring Phenex Tears.

* * *

The doorbell rang, jolting Asia out of her sleepy haze. Next to her, Ingvild and her sister had fallen asleep watching TV. A bowl of popcorn laid untouched as a bottle of beer sat in front of Mitsuki. Asia sighed. She walked over to the door and opened it.

"Asia," Akeno said as she walked inside.

"Akeno-oneesama, how was your day?" Asia asked as she stepped aside.

"It was the usual," Akeno said. After Akeno went inside, she was followed by Koneko, Kiba, Xenovia, Ravel, and Rossweisse, who took off early.

Akeno's violet eyes landed on Mitsuki and the violet haired stranger in their living room.

"Mitsuki's back?" Kiba asked as he walked up to the couch with Asia.

"Yeah, and she brought a friend with her. Her name is Ingvild and she'll be staying with us from now on," Asia said, omitting her last name due to worry of how they will react to her.

"Does Rias know about this?" Xenovia asked Asia.

"Well, this is Nee-san's house so they have the right to invite whoever they want to stay. And no, Rias-oneesama hasn't been back yet. I'm starting to get worried," Asia said. As if on cue, the doorbell rang once more, this time waking Mitsuki and Ingvild up.

"Whosa! Whaaa…?" Mitsuki said, rubbing her eyes.

"Still the epitome of grace," Akeno said, dropping down beside her.

"Oh, it's just you guys. Can someone get the door?" Mitsuki said, yawning.

"I'll get it," Rossweisse said, walking over. The room remained silent as the movie played on. The sound of footsteps entering the living room could be heard as Rossweisse returned with the guest.

"Um, guys, Rias-sama is back," Rossweisse said. Everyone turned to see Rias standing there with a blank look on her face. Her eyes traveled and rested upon Mitsuki and INgvild as they looked back at her.

"Where's Issei?" Rias asked.

"Out," Mitsuki said.

"Where?"

"Familiar Forest," Asia answered before Mitsuki could get another word out of her mouth. Rias nodded gratefully and sat down on the couch alongside them.

"I don't hate you, you know," Mitsuki said. Rias blinked and looked at the Hyoudou Twin.

"Why not? I did something horrible to your twin brother, even if it wasn't of my own accord," Rias said, looking down.

"Exactly, it wasn't of your own accord and neither was it Yatogami-san's. I've had some time to think about this and I don't know if Irina feels the same way but... Aniki told you as much, didn't he? You two were the unfortunate victims in the game of someone much more powerful so… we're good," Mitsuki said. "That goes to all of you. Just… wanted to get that out there so that there are no misconceptions about how I feel."

"I… I don't know what to say," Rias said. "Thanks, Mii-chan."

"Don't call me that. I don't need someone else calling me that. Issei is enough," Mitsuki said.

"So, who's she?" Rias asked, nodding to Ingvild.

"She's a friend we made who decided to come back with us. Her name is Ingvild," Mitsuki said.

"Just Ingvild?" Akeno asked.

"Leviathan. My last name is Leviathan," Ingvild said. Rias and Akeno tensed as they eyed the girl. Rossweisse looked confused while Kiba, Koneko, and Xenovia looked ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"Don't," Mitsuki said, flaring her power. The entire house shook as everyone was pressed to their spots.

The pressure faded when Ingvild placed a hand on Mitsuki's shoulder.

"It's alright, Mitsuki. I know how they must feel, considering that my family was affiliated with the OId Satan Faction," Ingvild said.

"She's not like that. I've known her for two hours and trust me, Ingvild-san is a good person," Asia said.

Rias looked at her bishop and sighed. She turned to Ingvild, her eyes flashing blue, a petal formation spinning furiously at the center.

"I will keep an eye on you, Leviathan-san. Just… in case. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable," Rias said.

"No, it's fine and I, in turn, shall prove that I'm not like my relatives," Ingvild said.

"I'm glad we came to an understanding. Stand down," Rias commanded. Akeno looked at her king and sighed. The other members of the peerage relaxed and returned to the movie.

* * *

"So, what kind of familiar are you planning to get?" Issei asked as they approached the forest. He thanked his stars that Sona teleported him there or they would have been stuck wandering the Underworld for the entire night.

"Hmm, something cute but deadly," Irina said.

"That's very broad," Issei remarked.

"Well, what are you planning to get?" Irina asked in return.

"Something cool like a dragon or a hydra or a Cerberus!" Issei said, pumping his fist. "Can you imagine me on Ryuuteimaru riding into battle with a fucking hydra at the helm?"

Irina placed a finger on her chin to think and the image of Issei charging in on a ship, screaming like Captain Jack Sparrow while a Hydra rained down death and destruction on his foes appeared inside her head.

"Oh, here we are," Issei said as the tree line appeared in front of them.

"Is it supposed to be this creepy looking?" Irina asked as she took in the ominous ambiance given off by the trees as shadows became more pronounced the further they walked in.

"No," a voice said.

Irina yelped and clung to Issei. The two turned to see a man wearing a backwards baseball cap with red hair hopping down from the branch.

"Familiar Master," Issei said. Irina got off Issei's arm and looked at the man before her.

"So, you here to get a familiar or in your case, second?" the familiar master asked.

"Yeah, if you could just let us in Zatouji," Issei said.

"Have fun. But be careful, Tiamat's been sighted inside of the forest," he said, before hopping back on the branch.

"Tiamat? Doesn't she kill…?" Irina trailed off as she glanced at Issei.

"I'll just have to be careful then. Let's split up and meet back here," Issei said.

"Wait, what? Did you not hear what he just said? Tiamat is in the forest! You could get hurt or killed!" Irina called out.

"It'll be fine! So long as I don't run into her!" Issei called back before disappearing into the brush.

"That idiot! Let's rest for a day but no, he comes running to the woods as soon as we get back," Irina grumbled as she walked off. As she walked, she heard a rustling noise coming from the bushes behind her. On instinct, Irina formed a halo disk and aimed at the bushes.

"Come out!" Irina said. Her jaw dropped when a massive white cat-like beast walked out of the shrubbery. Its body was at least as tall as a rig and as long as the trailer of a truck. Its body was decorated with spots, possessed eight legs with claws, massive fangs that stuck out of its cheeks, and a long tail that extends in three points.

"Um," Irina looked up at it. The beast growled, bearing its fangs at her. The beast roared, forcing Irina to throw the disk in its face. The disk exploded, causing the beast to recoil in pain. It whined as it backed away, causing Irina to finally noticed the wound on its hind leg.

"You're hurt…," she said, walking over to it. The beast whined as it shrank away from Irina.

She frowned. "I'm sorry for attacking you but I promise I can make you feel better," she said as she walked over to its leg.

She placed her hand over the wound and a soft pink light emanated from her palm. The wound glowed before slowly disappearing. The beast felt its pain disappear and turned to look at its leg. It licked the part where the wound used to be and purred. It nuzzled Irina, sending her stumbling back a few inches.

"Aw, you're welcome big guy!" Irina said, petting its nose. "What are you?"

The beast tilted its head in confusion and nudged Irina.

"Huh? You wanna be my familiar? This is so cool! I'm the first angel to get a familiar!" Irina said as she placed her hand on its snout. After forming the contract, the beast purred as Irina lightly scratched its chin.

"Hmm, you're kinda big. How am I gonna carry you?" Irina said. The beast looked at her before being engulfed in a puff of smoke. It was no longer a large cat-like beast but rather a tiny feline head with a small tail.

"YOU'RE SO CUTE!" Irina exclaimed as she grabbed the creature and hugged it, crushing it between her breasts. The creature struggled as it tried to breathe and meowed in happiness after Irina pulled away.

"What should I call you?" Irina said. "Are you a guy?"

The cat shook its head-body.

"So a girl?"

She nodded in Irina's hands.

"Hmmm… how about Yuki? Your fur is white so I'll call you, Yuki!" Irina said.

Yuki meowed happily as it nuzzled Irina's cheek.

"Aww, I love you so much too!" Irina said. "Come on. Let's go find my friend, Issei! Maybe if he has one by now, he'll let you play with his familiar!"

* * *

"Note to self: Never say split up again," Issei said as he crept past a pool of undine.

**[Well, you should have known better. Seems like you're still a naive fool]** Ddraig said.

"You gotta give me some credit though. The way I killed that Arachne back there was pretty cool," Issei whispered as he hid in the brush.

Issei sat in the brush, observing the various magical creatures he could make his familiar. He drooled at the sight of all of them.

"_Which one should I get? The Byakko? The Sylphs? The Basilisk? Or maybe that SirenHead?"_ Issei asked Ddraig.

**[As long as it's powerful, though I would recommend either the basilisk or the byakko]** Ddraig said as he looked on with interest.

Thunder crashed across the sky, causing Issei to jump slightly. All the wildlife ran as a storm brewed overhead.

"Rain? Goddamnit," Issei said.

**[No, this isn't rain. It's something else… Partner! Be still and watch!]** Ddraig urged as he felt its energy signature.

Issei nodded and suppressed his power and remained as still as he could. In a flash of blue lightning, a massive draconic wolf appeared in front of them. Its spikes lay flat on its back as red lightning coursed through its entire body. The dragon's luminous red eyes flashed as it took in its surroundings and then bent to drink water.

"_What is that_?" Issei asked.

**[It's a Dragon from my brood!]** Ddraig said.

"_That's a Dragon? It looks like a wolf with horns,_" Issei remarked.

**[Don't be fooled by her looks. She's a Dragon through and through. A powerful one in fact. Strong enough to rival the Dragon Kings in sheer power]** Ddraig said.

"What's her name?" Issei asked.

**[Zinogre]** Ddraig replied.

"_What do I do? Just go out there and say… hey, wanna be my familiar?_" Issei asked.

**[I mean, why not. It worked for Asia]** Ddraig said.

"_Ddraig! Do you see how big she is? She's a badass walking, neck popping Super Saiyan dragon wolf!"_ Issei said, gesturing to her.

**[Well, I don't see how that should be an obstacle. You have me and that boat so if push comes to shove, she shouldn't be a problem]** Ddraig said. **[Here, you know what. When you walk over, summon the Gear and I can talk to her for you.]**

"_Are you sure that will work?_" Issei asked.

**[Trust me. You'll be fine.]** Ddraig said.

"_Okay… but if she attacks, we're fighting back,_" Issei said as he crept out of the bush. The sounds of the rustling and Issei's footsteps caused the massive dragon to freeze and turn its head in Issei's direction. Issei summoned the **[Boosted Gear]** and held it out.

The Dragon growled as it crouched, ready to pounce on Issei at a moment's notice.

**[Zinogre!]** Ddraig called from the gear.

The dragon froze and tilted her head slightly. She walked over, sniffing Issei cautiously before speaking.

"**Why do I sense Ddraig-Niisama's energy all over you as well as… something else?**" Zinogre asked as lightning crackled off her scales.

"I'm the current host of Ddraig Y Goch and this generation's Red Dragon Emperor!" Issei answered.

**[That's right, Zin. Issei here came looking for a familiar] **Ddraig said.

"**A familiar? So this… thing wishes to bind me to its will?**" Zinogre asked as she eyed Issei.

"No, I wish to form a partnership with you via contract! A familiar is a companion, not a slave!" Issei said.

"**And why should I comply with your rules? For all I know, you could be hunting me for my scales?**" Zinogre said.

"I give you my word on my title as the Red Dragon Emperor that I shall treat you equally as a companion and not a slave. This I swear," Issei said. Zinogre looked at Issei for a few seconds before glancing at the Sacred Gear on his arm. She let out a breath that blew Issei's hair back. She began to glow a bright red, forcing Issei to cover his eyes.

When the light died down, a woman with pale skin and white hair stood in front of him. Her blood-red eyes bore into his brown ones as she stretched. She wore black robes and had a long, stocky metallic tail swishing around behind her. On her head, adorning her messy white hair were four curved horns. A lone fang stuck out of her lips.

"Very well then, Red Dragon. But know this, I am only joining you because of Ddraig-Niisama and nothing else," Zinogre said.

Issei nodded, slightly taken aback by his new familiar's beauty.

"Now how does this work?" Zinogre asked.

"Um, ah, right! **I beseech thee, Zinogre! Become my partner, my friend, my loyal teammate!**" Issei chanted.

A red magic circle appeared in front of Issei and enveloped Zinogre. A bright light shone through the woods as the ritual continued before dying down.

Zinogre looked herself over after the light disappeared.

"I don't feel any different? Are you sure it worked?" she asked, lifting her tail onto her arms.

"Of course it worked. The contract just allows me to summon you," Issei said.

"That's it? You could have led with that," Zinogre said. Issei sheepishly nodded as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I think I'll call you Zin like Ddraig does," Issei said.

"Suit yourself," she said. "Do you need a ride, Issei-sama?"

"Really? That would be nice!" Issei said as Zinogre transformed back into her dragon form. Issei hopped on her back and she ran off into the woods.

**[Zin! I heard that Tiamat was here! Where is she?]** Ddraig asked.

"**I don't know but I've been sensing her energy fluctuate recently!**" Zinogre said as she dashed through the trees.

"So, is she going to notice that I'm here?" Issei asked.

"**She probably already knows you're here! That ritual wasn't exactly conspicuous and since you're the Red Dragon, you might die…**," Zinogre said.

"Gee, nice vote of confidence, Zin," Issei said as he gripped onto one of her spines. Zinogre was about to speak when her eyes widened. She suddenly halted and threw Issei off her back as a massive ball of blue flames rained down from the sky. Zinogre, using her lightning, enhanced her speed and leaped back.

"What the…?" Issei said as he looked at the blue flames.

"**It's Tiamat. Go run! I'll distract her!**" Zinogre said. "**It'll be pretty bad for me on my first day as a familiar if you die!**"

"No, I'm not leaving you here to die to her!" Issei said, running over to her.

"Ddraig," a serene voice called out. A woman walked out of the woods, her skin was as pale as the moon itself. She had long flowing black hair and wore a black-caped, long-sleeved robe. Her body was seductive and curvaceous, even more so than Akeno's. Her eerie blue eyes rooted Issei to his spot as he became captivated by them. On her head, were a pair of long, curved, segmented, ram-like horns that resembled wings due to their sheer size.

**[Tiamat]** Ddraig said as he saw her through Issei's eyes.

"**Tiamat-sama! Please don't do anything you'll regret!**" Zinogre pleaded to the Dragon King. She ignored her and kept her sights trained directly on Issei.

"You're Tiamat?" Issei asked.

"Yes, I am. And like with your predecessors, I'm here to kill you," Tiamat said. "Please don't struggle."

Issei barely dodged as Tiamat formed a massive energy claw and slammed it into the ground. He looked on with wide eyes as the trees behind him were leveled in an instant.

"I'm not going to go down so easily!" Issei said as he summoned the **[Boosted Gear]**.

"Like all the others," she whispered. She raised her hand and a red sphere of energy formed in front of her. "**Genesis Wave**!"

Issei was forced to take to the skies as a red beam of swirling energy tore up the land below him. He looked down and saw the massive trench carved by Tiamat's attack.

"Ddraig!" Issei said.

**[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!]** Ddraig said. **[Unfortunately, without your pieces, you no longer have access to Cardinal Crimson Promotion so you can't use those. And I have more bad news, it seems that your DxD G is currently locked away]**

"What?" Issei said as he dodged another blast. "How!?"

**[I don't know. But it seems that this could be a side effect of your pieces being removed. Try to hold on. I'll find a way to get it unlocked]** Ddraig said.

"**[Dragon Shot!]** Please do!" Issei said as he fired a beam of scarlet energy at Tiamat. She craned her body out of the way and took off towards Issei. She raised her hand and the water in the familiar forest surged towards her. She threw her hand down and the water sped like missiles towards Issei.

"Shit!" Issei weaved out of the water pillars' paths as he flew towards her.

**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**

"Take this!" Issei said, landing a solid blow on her face. Tiamat was sent flying back. She caught herself in midair, touching the side of her face.

"You're much more defiant than the others," Tiamat said coldly. Her red eyes glowed eerily. "Unfortunately for you, I won't allow you to perform such a move again."

Tiamat formed a finger gun with her right hand. "**Umu Taburuttu**," Tiamat announced. A blue orb of energy fired from her finger, piercing through Issei's leg.

"GAH!" Issei screamed in pain as he lowered slightly.

"I told you. It's pointless to resist. Give up and I'll make your death painless," Tiamat said as she fired another one, this time piercing Issei's shoulder.

"ISSEI-SAMA!" Zinogre appeared above Tiamat and swiped her paw down. Tiamat lazily raised her hand and caught the dragon's paw and threw her into the forest floor. She summoned some condensed water and shot it at Zinogre, shattering a few of the dragon's ribs.

"ZIN!" Issei yelled. "You bitch!" Issei snarled, turning to Tiamat.

**[Hang on, Issei. I think I've figured it out! Your new power source. It's the thing blocking your DxD G. That coupled with the fact that it's synchronizing with Great Red's flesh. I've never seen anything like this. It's altering the body Ophis and Great Red made for you by inserting themselves into your cells.] **Ddraig said.

"_Spare me the biology lesson and tell me if you can fix it!"_ Issei said.

**[I can't. I've never encountered anything like this]** Ddraig said.

"_You said that it's that new power source inside of me right? The one from when I removed my pieces? Do you think that you can sync it with the Boosted Gear's Balance Breaker? At least, until I can figure out how to use it outside of it other than for flight and restore my Pseudo Diabolos Dragon?" _Issei asked.

**[I'll try. Stall for me!]** Ddraig said.

"_I will but I don't know for how long I can!_" Issei said as he barely dodged a swipe from Tiamat.

"Silence, I see," Tiamat said, catching Issei's attention. "Have you given in and accepted your fate?

"Why?" Issei asked, looking at her. His dark miasmic wings beat behind him.

Tiamat looked confused at his question. "Why what?" she asked.

"Why do you kill Red Dragon Emperors?" Issei asked.

Tiamat looked surprised at his question. Her face contorted into fury as she snarled at him. Her fangs glinted as she screamed at him.

"What right do you have to ask me that question!? You who jails my beloved inside your body like an animal at a zoo!" Tiamat raged.

Issei was taken aback by her statement.

"I'm not Ddraig's prison! In fact, none of this was my choice! If I had any say in the matter of Ddraig's fate, he would be out, free to enjoy life! It's not my fault I ended up with the **[Boosted Gear]**!" Issei fired back. "But…"

"That still doesn't tell me why you kill them? What do you mean by Ddraig being your beloved?" Issei asked.

Tiamat remained silent, eyeing the boy with silent fury in her eyes. She clenched her fists, her entire body shaking in anger. Below them, Zinogre looked on in silence. She knew why Tiamat killed the Red Dragon Emperors.

"Fine, I'll humor you boy. Consider this a gift before I rend the very life from your body," Tiamat said.

* * *

_A young blue dragoness walked through the fields of Wales. Tiamat relished the winds that blew gently through her scales. This was nice. She needed this every once in a while. Anu had allowed her to take a week of her duties as the Babylonian Goddess of Chaos. Though she wasn't a Goddess, Tiamat was worshipped as one and she hated it. Though, her deity status wasn't like the others. She was a replacement for Anu's parents, Nammu, the Elder Goddess of Salt Water and Creation, and Apsu, the Elder God of Fresh Water and Creation. The very ones who adopted her before their untimely demise at the hands of their brother, Enki, and his son, Marduk. But here in Wales, no one knew her and that felt great. It was a freedom she never felt before._

"_I wish Anu was here…" Tiamat sighed. Anu really needed to take a break. Dealing with Inanna's antics must have been… exhausting to say the least. Over in the distance, she saw a young male dragon with scales as red as blood eating a large Roc. Her stomach rumbled. She flew over and landed next to him. The dragon looked up at her._

_"What?" he looked up at her disinterested in her presence. She looked down at the Roc he was eating. He noticed her gaze. The dragon sighed and passed the rest of it to her. Tiamat looked at him gratefully as she dug into the carcass._

"_Hey… what's your name?" she asked, looking up. Blood and feathers littered her snout._

"_Isn't it polite to introduce yourself first?" the dragon looked at her with bored eyes._

_Tiamat blinked and remembered that she never did tell the dragon her name._

"_Tiamat! My name is Tiamat! Remember it because I'm going to be famous one day! I will take Palladia Mors' place as a Dragon King!" she declared proudly._

"_Palladia Mors? You want to try and fight her? Pfft! Tough luck, shrimp," he said, dismissing her claims. Tiamat puffed out her cheeks and blew smoke from her snout. How dare this ingrate spit on her dreams!_

"_I'll have you know that I'm the Babylonian Goddess of Chaos!" she yelled standing up._

_"And?" the dragon said, looking at her with a bored expression. Tiamat fumed. What right did he have to talk to her like that? She was going to do it. She was going to prove this… insufferable asshole in front of her wrong._

"_Just watch you overgrown tomato! I will defeat Palladia Mors!" she yelled and flew off. Who did that stupid wyrm think he was. Ugin? Ophis? Great Red? He was a nobody. At least she had a title._

"_Ddraig!" she heard him yell. Tiamat stopped and hovered._

"_The name's Ddraig, Tiamat," he said._

"_I don't care what your name is! Just you watch! I'll kick Palladia Mors's ass!" Tiamat screamed._

* * *

_A few months later, Tiamat returned to Wales. She really needed a break. Inanna that annoying bitch. Why did she have to start a contest with Aphrodite of all people? She destroyed an entire chain of Islands and Anu was not happy. She saw the same red dragon roosting by a cliff. Next to him was a smaller black wolf-like dragon the size of a horse. Tiamat landed next behind them. The two twisted their necks and saw her._

"_Oh, it's just you. Tiamat, was it?" Ddraig said. The whelp looked at her curiously or at least she thought the whelp was looking. The whelp's eyes were covered by red fur._

_"I'm surprised you remembered me," she said huffing. She glowed blue and shifted to her human form. Ddraig raised a scaly brow before glowing red and doing the same. In his human form, Ddraig has red hair and wore a red vest with black kilt. The whelp next to him glowed red before shifting to her human form. She had short white hair styled in a bob cut and wore simple black robes._

"_I just need a name to the corpse that Palladia Mors will leave behind, come the Festival of the Dragon Kings," he said, smirking. His fangs glinted in the light as Tiamat's eyes burned in fury._

_Tiamat's cheeks puffed as her face turned red. The dragon was not wrong. Palladia Mors would rip her apart and cast her remains over the seas._

"_I can help you" Ddraig offered. Tiamat looked up confused. First, he makes fun of her and now he helps her. _

"_Old Dala made him promise to help you. He always said to help a fellow dragon!" the whelp next to him said happily as if seeing the older dragon being scolded made her happy._

"_Wait, Dala? As in Dalamadur? One of the Dragon Kings? He lives here!?" she exclaimed._

"_Yeah, the Old Snake lives in that massive peak behind you," Ddraig pointed to a large peak behind her. She looked and saw a massive snow-covered peak. Tiamat could faintly make out the silhouettes of other dragons flying around it._

_She suddenly got on her knees and began begging._

"_Please take me there! I've always wanted to meet a Dragon King!" she begged. Ddraig sweatdropped._

"_Aren't you a goddess?" he said. Tiamat stared at him with massive watery red eyes and a pout on her face. Ddraig tried his hardest not to crumble at the sight. After a few seconds, he cursed himself for this weakness and gave in._

"_Alright, I'll take you to the old snake…" Ddraig sighed. _

_He marveled at her lack of dignity. This dragon called herself a goddess for the Dragon Gods' sake. Tiamat looked at him and gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever witnessed. Ddraig looked away so she couldn't see the blush that was currently forming on his face._

"_C' mon! We're burning daylight!" he said as he transformed back into a dragon and took off. The whelp did the same and flew after him. Tiamat smiled and followed suit. After a few minutes, they arrived at a massive cave. _

_Inside, Tiamat saw a massive serpentine male dragon wrapped around the largest stalagmite in the gave. It was impossibly big, more massive than any dragon Tiamat had ever met. It had a snake-like face with bright, red eyes. On its back were massive barbed spines that ran along its body, being clustered at the neck and spreading out as it moved along. It had a pair of large, clawed forearms and a glowing vents on its chest. If she had to measure, this being in front of her was as large as a mountain and bigger than even Typhon and Humbaba. The dragon turned its red eyes to Tiamat, analyzing her. A forked tongue slipped out of its mouth, tasting the air. Tiamat shivered under his gaze._

"_Ddraig, Zinogre. Who is this?" he said, his voice shaking the cavern._

"_Old Snake Dalamadur, this is Tiamat. She's new here," Ddraig told him. Dalamadur looked at Tiamat appraisingly._

"_A mate for you perhaps Ddraig?" the old dragon asked. Tiamat and Ddraig choked and stared in disbelief at the dragon._

"_Are you crazy!" Ddraig and Tiamat said at the same time._

"_As if!"_

_The whelp named Zinogre giggled._

"_You're already in sync!" she grinned mischievously._

_Ddraig and Tiamat looked at her with red faces._

_Dalamadur let out a booming laugh that shook the entire cave._

"_Why are you here, Babylonian Dragon?" he asked._

_Tiamat's eyes grew wide. How did he know her? She felt pride swell up inside of her. A dragon as renowned as Dalamadur knew who she was. She felt like breaking out into a squealing fit but composed herself. _

"_Palladia Mors has been telling me about a challenger from down in Anu's little gaggle of Gods," Dalamadur told her as he brought his massive head down._

"_Yes, Dalamadur sir! I wish to challenge Palladia Mors for the title of Dragon King!" she said puffing out her chest._

_"I see. Tell me, young whelp. What shall you do once you attain the position of Dragon King?" Dalamadur asked._

"_What will I do?" Tiamat said. She looked down at the ground. "I… I don't know yet."_

"_You want to be Dragon King but you do not know why you want to be Dragon King?" Dalamadur asked. "Each dragon king has responsibilities to Dragonkind. It is our job to keep them safe and to rule our regions with utmost authority yet we must also be wise and benevolent. So tell me, young one? What is it that you will do after you become a Dragon King?"_

"_I…," Tiamat looked down. She thought about it. And thought. And thought. "Can I have some time?"_

"_Of course. In the meantime, Ddraig! Train her!" Dalamadur ordered._

"_What!? But Dalamadur! You can't possibly expect me to train this greenhorn and make her a force to be reckoned with by the time of the Festival of Kings! Plus, I still have to fight that White Bastard!" Ddraig said._

"_You will Ddraig. Palladia has explicitly stated that she will not fight anyone unless they are strong enough to even stand in front of her without crumbling. You are the strongest dragon here, even more so than me or Palladia. You will train her," Dalamadur ordered. Ddraig huffed. While he was stronger than him, Ddraig would never attack the dragon he respected most and thought of as a father._

"_Fine," Ddraig huffed. "Let's go."_

_Ddraig turned and walked out of the cave followed by a nervous Tiamat. This dragon in front of her was more powerful than Dalamadur and Palladia. She gulped then shook her head._

_Dragons don't feel fear, she thought, slapping her cheeks. Upon exiting the cave, Ddraig and Tiamat transformed into their dragon forms and took off._

"_So, Lord Dalamadur said that you're more powerful than he is? Just how much more?" Tiamat asked._

"_I don't know exactly. Just that I'm stronger than most dragons," Ddraig answered._

"_So that means that if you're stronger? You can go for the title of Dragon King, right?" Tiamat asked._

"_There's more to life than being a Dragon King. I, for one, am happy with how I am now. I don't want the burden that comes with being a Dragon King. Administering the region in which you reside and answering challenges from dragons who wish to usurp you, etcetera, etcetera," Ddraig said. _

"_I mean, I kind of have to deal with that already. Ever since Apsu and Nammu were overthrown by Enki, Enlil, and Anu. I've been chosen to represent them as the Engur so I already know what it's like to administer a region," Tiamat said softly._

"_Were you close to Apsu and Nammu?" Ddraig asked._

"_I was. I was an orphaned dragon. My birth parents, whoever they were, died defending the nest they found my egg in," she said. She missed them dearly alongside Anu, Ninhursag, and Enlil. And for that reason, she despised Enki and his children. They were the ones who slew the two deities who raised her and gave her their love and affection and she, in turn, loved them as if they were her birth parents._

"_I'm sorry for your loss," Ddraig said. "If it's any consolation, I never knew my parents either. The Old Snake found me as a young whelp who recently hatched. My mother's carcass was lying off to the side and he never found out who killed her but… I don't care. The Old Man and Zin, alongside this brood, are the only family I'll ever acknowledge."_

_Tiamat nodded at his words._

_After a few more minutes of flying, Tiamat followed Ddraig to an open field and the two landed._

"_Alright, show me what you got," Ddraig said._

_Tiamat nodded and got ready to pounce. Without warning, she lunged at Ddraig fangs bared and talons splayed ready to rip into him. Ddraig turned and swung his tail hitting her. Tiamat was sent careening into the ground. She shakily got up._

"_One hit? Really? Even Zinogre can last longer than you and she's only 25," Ddraig said with a look of boredom. Tiamat became angry. How dare this dragon insult her!?_

_She breathed a massive stream of blue fire towards Ddraig who just stood there. Ddraig blew a small puff of red fire which quickly ate through her stream and impacted her in the chest, sending her flying and crashing a few feet away from where she stood. Tiamat screamed in agony as the flame ate through her scales. Ddraig sighed and willed the flames to go out. There was a massive burn wound on her torso and she was barely breathing. _

_Ddraig started to panic. Had he accidentally killed her? Ddraig picked her up in his claws gently and flew back to the Cave. Dalamadur had begun to yell at him and scolding him for nearly killing an important figure in another pantheon. _

"_OF ALL THE HARE-BRAINED THINGS YOU HAVE DONE BOY! THIS TAKES THE CAKE!" Dalamadur yelled. "DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT SHE IS THE CURRENT HOLDER OF APSU AND NAMMU'S POSITIONS WITHIN THE MESOPOTAMIAN PANTHEON! IF SHE DIED, ANU AND PALLADIA MORS WOULD HAVE DECLARED WAR ON US!"_

_Ddraig just looked down and accepted the tongue lashing Dalamadur was currently giving._

_Over the next few weeks, Ddraig visited Tiamat after some of the healer dragons assured him that she would survive but would end up with a scar on the left side of her torso. She was currently in human form sleeping on a small cot. Ddraig sat next to her and saw the scar just below her left breast. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The sound of groaning alerted him to Tiamat who was now slowly waking up._

_Tiamat's eyes fluttered open slowly as she took in her surroundings. She blinked in confusion. The last thing she remembered was her first spar with Ddraig. Why was she back in the cave? Did something happen? And why was she in human form? She turned her head and saw Ddraig gripping her hand with a smile._

"_Thank the Dragon Gods you're awake! I'm sorry for going overboard with the flames," he began apologizing profusely._

"_Ugh.. wha-? What flames?" she suddenly remembered the pain of those scorching red flames that ate through her body. Tiamat felt herself all over and touched a bandaged area just underneath her breasts. A scar. She had a scar. Tiamat grinned at the feeling of it._

_Ddraig saw her feel the area where the burn scar was and she grinned?_

"_Why are you smiling? Aren't you mad? I thought goddesses were supposed to care about their appearances?" Ddraig asked her confused._

"_No, no. I'm a Dragon first and foremost. This scar is proof that I can win. If I can survive your flames, that means that I can dish out whatever Palladia Mors has to throw at me! Let's keep going!" Tiamat said as she looked at Ddraig. She saw how close his face was. Tiamat stared into Ddraig's green eyes. She felt as if she could just keep staring for the rest of eternity. Her heart began to beat faster the longer she looked into them._

"_Tiamat?" Ddraig said. _

"_Yes?" Tiamat said, not paying attention to his voice._

"_You're kind of clo-!" Ddraig was interrupted when the sound of footsteps entered the room._

"_Ahem," they both flew apart red in the face. The two dragons turned and saw Zinogre staring at them with a smirk._

"_You two gonna kiss already or wha- owie" Zinogre rubbed the top of her head after Ddraig karate chopped it._

"_Let's go Tiamat. The Festival of Kings is only three months away and you spent three weeks of those napping," Ddraig said as he walked out of the room. Tiamat's eyes grew wide with excitement and followed him out of the cave._

* * *

_The next three months were spent training. Ddraig was a brutal teacher and Tiamat always came out with cuts and bruises. She was grateful for the training and took every beating with a smile. Over a few months, Dalamadur was impressed with her progress. She was becoming powerful. Her powers, as he had discovered, were over Calamity. Each battle with Ddraig sharpened and reinforced her power, causing them to grow at an exponential rate._

_Maybe Tia is strong enough to defeat Palladia Mors, Dalamadur thought as his eyes fell upon the bluenette who was eating meat with Ddraig and Zin._

_The Festival of Kings. A yearly event that every dragon went to. The location had changed every year but this year, Dalamadur hosted the Festival in Wales. It wasn't like the average human festival with tents and food, it was a place where dragons got together and proved themselves. Tiamat looked at the crowd before her. While this wasn't her first time attending a festival, the sheer number of Dragons that showed up to one location never ceased to amaze her. Whelps flew overhead, chasing each other and shooting small, harmless wisps of fire in a game of Tag._

_As the two walked among the crowd, Ddraig's eyes widened when he spotted a familiar tuft of white hair._

"_Albion, you white cracker bastard!" Ddraig called out. The person in question turned to face them. His blue eyes widened as a battle-hungry grin appeared on his face._

"_Ddraig, you damn redneck!" Albion said, walking over to Ddraig and Tiamat. A white aura enveloped his entire body._

_The two looked at each other and an oppressive aura began to come down on the entire festival. Everyone froze wondering what the two would do. Ddraig and Albion did the one thing everyone expected least. They fist-bumped._

"_I look forward to our next match ya white bastard," Ddraig said to him._

"_Same here, lobster boy," Albion replied in kind and walked away. _

_Everyone sighed. They didn't need to clean up. The last time those two fought at a dragon festival, Atlantis had sunk and Poseidon was pissed. He tried to fight the two but Ddraig and Albion merely roared at him causing the poor sea god to faint._

"_Alright," they all heard a voice call out. The six dragon kings walked out. Palladia Mors was in her human form. She had black hair and blue eyes. Next to her was Ugin. He was also in his human form and had green hair and blue eyes. Dalamadur stood next to Ugin. He had blonde hair and a long beard. His eyes were still red. Next to Dalamadur was Fatalis, the strongest Dragon King. He had white hair and red eyes. Next to Fatalis was Kirin, not Qilin. Kirin had white hair and red eyes like Fatalis. Her defining feature was the lone horn that protruded from her forehead. Finally was Chromium Rhuell. He had grey hair and silver eyes._

_Palladia stepped forward._

"_The challengers for the titles of Dragon King step forward!" she announced._

_Tiamat walked to the front proudly. Five others walked to the front with her. The matches began. Dalamadur was defeated by a golden dragon named Fafnir. Chromium was defeated by a black dragon named Vritra. Ugin was defeated by a giant of a dragon named Migardsormr or Jormungandr as the others called him. Kirin was defeated by a dragon named Yu Long. Fatalis was somehow defeated by a dragon named Tannin._

_Finally came Tiamat and Palladia Mors' fight. They were in human form. Without warning, Tiamat launched herself towards Palladia. Palladia smirked._

_Amateur, she thought. She thrust her hand forward to catch Tiamat in mid-air but hit nothing but air. Tiamat appeared in front of her and sent a kick to her gut launching her into the air. Tiamat appeared behind her and drove her elbow into Palladia's back sending her back down into the ground. Palladia stood up and saw Tiamat hovering over her in the air. She smirked. This will be a good fight. Palladia launched herself to Tiamat, the force of her jump creating a massive shock wave. Palladia appeared in front of Tiamat with her claws extended. She swiped her claws but Tiamat dodged it. Tiamat sent a punch towards Palladia who blocked it and kicked Tiamat sending her flying through the air. Tiamat grit her teeth._

_She extended her hand and shot a plume of blue flames. Palladia responded in kind by sending her own deluge of blue fire. The two flames fought for dominance as the air around the flames began to heat up. Every dragon could feel that heat as small plants began to combust. _

_Suddenly, Tiamat let up and dodged the blue fire of Palladia. She flew towards Palladia with her fist coated in blue fire and nailed her right in the chest. Palladia snarled and transformed into her dragon form. It was a massive black dragon with twisted horns and blue eyes. She breathed a massive ball of fire at her. Tiamat transformed into her dragon form and breathed a stream of blue fire in return. Her fire blast cut straight through Palladia's fireball. Palladia felt an intense burning pain in her torso. She was hit with Tiamat's flames. Tiamat flew up to Palladia who was hovering trying to extinguish the flames. Palladia looked and saw Tiamat swing her tail in a downward motion sending her crashing into the ground creating a massive crater. Palladia looked up and saw Tiamat forming a massive red sphere of fire._

"_**Ummu-Hubur!"**_

_Palladia opened her mouth and formed a ball of black and red flames._

"_**Beacon of Destruction!"**_

_Palladia and Tiamat fired their respective attacks. Palladia's fire beam was slowly pushing Tiamat's fireball back. Tiamat struggled to push back but was losing ground slowly. She was about to give up when she heard Ddraig._

"_TIAMAT! ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE UP! WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT DRAGONESS THAT WANTED TO BE A DRAGON KING! I DIDN'T WASTE MY TIME TRAINING A QUITTER! FIGHT!" Ddraig yelled at her from the crowd._

_Tiamat looked at Ddraig with wide eyes._

_Ddraig…, Tiamat thought. She closed her eyes and smiled. _

_Ddraig smirked when he saw the smile on her face._

_She pushed the last of her energy into her attack causing the fireball to expand to the size of a cruise ship. Palladia's eyes grew wide as she tried to push back but found that she couldn't push back. Her attack was swallowed by Tiamat's __**Ummu-Hubur**__. The massive ball of fire impacted and a massive explosion incinerated everything in the area. The explosion died down Palladia was seen standing with severe burns. Tiamat landed in front of the Black Dragon of Annihilation._

_Palladia grinned. This girl would be a great successor, she thought._

_"Good job, whelp. Never in my life did I see the day I would be dethroned but strangely, I'm at peace with this. I hereby grant you the title, Dragon King. Hail Tiamat! The Blue Dragon King of Chaos," she said as she passed out. Tiamat shifted to her human form and wiped the sweat off her brow, panting._

"_Tiamat!" she turned and saw Ddraig and Zinogre running towards her._

_Ddraig hugged her and swept her up and they both laughed as Ddraig spun Tiamat around. They touched their foreheads together._

"_KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS!" Tiamat and Ddraig saw the crowd gathered around them. They were cheering for them to kiss, Zinogre and Dalamadur chief among them. The two went red, looked at each other, and shrugged. Their lips touched and Tiamat felt as if she was in Heaven. For Ddraig, he had never felt anything more satisfying nor had he felt happier. The two broke apart for air and looked at each other and smiled. They separated and looked at the crowd holding hands._

* * *

_The years would fly by and the dragons would have their festivals. Of course, no dragon could defeat the current kings. Ddraig and Albion had their fights which would devastate an entire country giving the gods headaches. But that didn't matter to Ddraig or Tiamat. The two could never be seen apart for long for where one went the other followed. Soon, Ddraig and Albion gained the title, Heavenly Dragon. A Heavenly Dragon and a Dragon King. Their relationship became somewhat of a fairy tale among mating dragons. They were happy that was until the Great War broke out. The dragons cared little for each side continuing about their lives. The Pantheons scrambled to protect their borders forcing Tiamat to return to Mesopotamia to strengthen the borders._

"_It'll only be for a few weeks, my mate. I'll be back," Tiamat reassured him. Tiamat and Ddraig had built themselves a small home outside of a human town in Europe. To the people, they were nothing more than a young couple in love with each other._

"_I know. I just have a bad feeling," Ddraig said to her. Tiamat planted a kiss on his cheek._

"_It's nothing. I'll see you in two weeks," she said as she formed a Dragon Gate and teleported to Mesopotamia._

* * *

_Two weeks would pass and Tiamat returned to their home in Wales. She felt that she and Ddraig had been apart for too long and couldn't wait to return home to him. As she walked, she saw the village they lived in up in flames. Tiamat saw Angels, Devils, and Fallen fighting each other with Ddraig and Albion restrained in the background. A figure with white hair and white robes floated above them with his hand outstretched. She took off and shifted to her dragon form killing every angel, fallen, and devil in her path. The white-haired man turned around and Tiamat fell to the ground. She tried to get up but felt herself unable to. _

_Tiamat looked up and her eyes widened. The last person she had expected to see in this battle was… him?_

"_Yahweh?" Tiamat asked confused. "What are you doing? I thought you said that you wouldn't get involved in this war."_

"_Circumstances have forced me to intervene, Tiamat," Yahweh said as he held his hand down, slamming Albion's head back into the ground._

"_Well, what are you doing here in my home? Why is my love restrained!? ANSWER ME GOD OF GENESIS!" Tiamat snarled._

"_I'm sorry child. But, these two are too dangerous to be allowed to roam free," He said sadly. "I'm afraid that I will have to deal with them before… something worse happens from one of their battles."_

_Tiamat's eyes grew wide at his words._

"_NO! NOOO! Please let him go! Take me instead!" Tiamat begged with tears streaming down her face._

_"Tiamat," she turned to look at Ddraig. A reassuring smile was on his face as he looked at her._

"_It's okay Tia. Everything will be okay," Ddraig said to her calming her down._

_Albion struggled to stand up but could not do it. He couldn't even breathe fire. Yahweh had somehow prevented them from using their powers. Yahweh snapped His fingers and Ddraig and Albion screamed in pain. A white light came out of their eyes and mouth._

"_DDRAIIIIG! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Tiamat screamed and begged him to stop. _

_To stop hurting her mate. She screamed until her voice was hoarse. Finally, Ddraig and Albion stopped screaming and their heads fell limp. Tiamat looked on in pure horror and anguish when she saw Ddraig. His eye sockets were nothing more than smoldering holes. Yahweh waved His hand and a red and white sphere appeared. It was his soul. Ddraig's soul. Yahweh placed Ddraig's soul inside a red gauntlet. The gauntlet transformed into a red light and shot off into the sky. He did the same with Albion's._

_Suddenly, Tiamat found herself able to move. She felt livid at this being for daring to take her mate away. She let loose a jet of flames only to find nothing had come from her mouth. Her head fell in despair as she looked at her mate's corpse. Her head shook in denial as she began to roar and scream in rage. Yahweh watched sadly as several angels, fallen, and devil tried to restrain her only to be slaughtered._

_A white-haired angel with seven pairs of black wings appeared next to Yahweh._

"_Father, are you just going to allow her to slaughter your forces?" she asked._

"_Let her unleash her grief, Lucifer. If need be, I'll restore those I lost today to her rage," Yahweh said._

"_YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Tiamat roared, turning to Yahweh and Lucifer. She charged at the God, talons splayed ready to tear into his throat when Yahweh raised his hand. Tiamat felt a force slam into her abdomen, sending her crashing into the ground._

"_I'm sorry," Yahweh said sadly. "I know how you must feel."_

"_LIES! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW HOW I FEEL!?" Tiamat roared._

"_I… have felt what it's like to lose the person you love. But mind you, she didn't die. She just didn't love me the way I did her," he said._

_Tiamat quieted down and began to sob. She limped over to Ddraig's corpse and curled herself around him. Lucifer looked on in sadness as she watched the dragon wail and saw her father looking at her with similar anguish._

_"Do not despair, Tiamat. One day, you will be reunited with him through a host who bears a kind heart and has suffered similar despair," Yahweh said. He and Lucifer disappeared, leaving a broken Tiamat to weep in the ruins of her home._

* * *

"And then what happened?" Issei asked, a look of pity on his face.

"I… I wept. I searched when I heard from others that there was someone who wielded his powers. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that he was trapped inside the body of a human. Doomed to repeat his battle. To die over and over again! I can't stand that! I won't stand for it! I will free him no matter who I have to kill!" Tiamat said. "Now do you understand? I kill the hosts in a way to capture the Boosted Gear before it passes on so that I can free Ddraig from the prison Yahweh placed him in."

"I don't know what to say," Issei said. He had never imagined Ddraig to have a history like that. Was it right for Issei to continue hosting him? His body was a barrier to Ddraig's attainment of freedom. To be reunited with his mate, who hovered in front of him. But he couldn't. Because he was trapped within the **[Boosted Gear]**. Because Issei was alive.

"You don't need to say anything. Just… please. Don't make this harder for me than it is," Tiamat said.

Issei looked down, conflicted. Should he fight back or should he let Tiamat kill him?

**[Partner! What are you doing!? Snap out of it! If you die, what will happen to that Angel who loves you? To that Valkyrie! To your friends and family!]** Ddraig roared inside of Issei.

"But… Ddraig. Don't you want to be free?" Issei asked.

**[Partner… I have always wanted to be free but… not at the price of losing you. Issei, you're the best host I've had. My best friend. Yes, we've had some rough spots. The Oppai Dragon Era… ugh. But through all that, I have never once regretted being your ally.]** Ddraig said.

"What about Tiamat?" Issei asked.

**[... Tiamat, if Issei wins, will you leave him alone?] **Ddraig asked.

Tiamat nodded.

"If he wins," she said.

**[Tiamat. I'm sorry for leaving you alone]** Ddraig said.

"It's alright. At least, we got to talk again," she said. "One last time before I kill this boy, who separates us."

"I'm not going to die. I have people waiting for me. I too have someone I love waiting for me and I won't let you take me from her just for this!" Issei said.

"And also, I swear… I will right the wrongs done to you two! I will find a way to reunite you!" Issei swore. A bright flame danced in his eyes as his wings flared with more power.

Tiamat looked on with some shock evident on her features. She smirked at his resolve. This boy was different from the ones she had killed in the past.

"Very well then, child. I'll humor you. But don't expect me to hold back," Tiamat said as a dark blue aura surrounded her.

* * *

The ground shook underneath her, causing her to stumble. Irina grabbed on to a tree branch to maintain her balance as Yuki hissed as she hung onto Irina's shoulder.

"What was that?" Irina said. She spread her wings and took to the air. Her eyes widened when she was a red and blue streak clashing in mid-air.

"Issei," Irina said. She gritted her teeth and summoned Hauteclere. "Let's go Yuki!" Yuki hung on for dear life as her master spread her wings and took off in a burst of speed.

* * *

"Damnit! Ddraig! Is it ready!" Issei said as he barely blocked a kick from Tiamat. He felt his bones creak underneath the force of her blow and gritted his teeth.

**[Almost. Just hold on!]** Ddraig said.

**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**

"HAAAH!" Issei embedded his fist into her gut, causing Tiamat to cough up spit. The Dragon King growled and uppercut Issei, shattering his helmet.

"Just give up!" Tiamat yelled, grabbing his feet and throwing him down to the floor. Issei crashed into the forest, groaning. He barely had time to move as Tiamat slammed her foot into the ground.

"I don't think I can keep going Ddraig," Issei said as he backpedaled away from an approaching Tiamat.

**[Damnit Issei! Just a few more seconds!]** Ddraig said as he found the power source and began to tug on it.

"Any last words?" Tiamat said.

"ISSEI!"

Issei and Tiamat's heads perked up at the sound of the voice. A barrage of halos impacted Tiamat, sending her flying through the forest. She crashed through several trees before landing in a clearing. Every beast for miles fled as Tiamat crashed.

"Irina?" Issei said, spitting some blood out from his mouth.

"Issei! Are you alright?" Irina said, kneeling next to him. She placed his hand over his wounds and a soft pink light emanated from her hand, healing Issei.

"I'm fine. Just a bit beat up," Issei said.

"Was that…?" Irina said, looking at the devastated chunk of the forest before her.

"Yeah," Issei said, standing. He stumbled a bit before Irina caught him, swinging his arm over her shoulder to support him.

"Thanks," Issei said.

"No problem," Irina answered, her eyes never leaving the sight of the woods.

**[Dodge!]** Ddraig screamed at the two of them.

Issei pushed Irina before moving out of the way as a beam of chaotic blue and black energy surged past them, destroying miles of forest.

"Insolent! How dare you interfere between a battle of two dragons!" Tiamat roared in rage. Issei and Irina took a step back. Tiamat hovered above them, no longer in her human form. She was in her draconic form. It was a form that inspired both awe and terror in the two. Tiamat had a slender-upper body. Her scales had a crystalline blue hue to them. On her head were a pair of massive curved horns decorated by orange pulsating gems. Her entire body appeared almost ethereal and translucent with wings that appear frayed at the edges.

"**Die!**" Tiamat opened her maw and unleashed a blue flame-like energy towards them. Issei hopped out of the beam's way.

**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**

**[Dragon Shot!]** Issei fired another blast at Tiamat.

The Dragon King merely swiped her tail and deflected the blast.

"**It's over, child! Surrender and I'll spare the angel!**" Tiamat commanded. Irina flew over to Tiamat's head and unleashed a barrage of light blasts. Tiamat snarled and swiped her paw, forcing Irina to dodge.

"RIN!" Issei yelled. "STAY BACK! SHE WANTS ME!"

"WHAT!? ARE YOU INSANE!? I'M NOT LETTING YOU FIGHT HER ALO-!"

"YOU HAVE TOO! TRUST ME! I'LL MAKE IT! I NEED TO DO THIS!" Issei yelled. Irina paused, shocked. She wanted to say something but sighed. Nodding, Irina retreated to a safer distance.

"Zin!" Issei yelled to the downed dragon.

"Issei-sama!" she called.

"Go! Get out of here!" Issei said.

"I understand!" Zinogre said before disappearing in a streak of lightning.

**[Partner. What are you doing?]** Ddraig asked.

"_I'm going to keep my promise. I'm going to defeat her and find a way to free you without killing me,_" Issei said.

**[Issei…]** Ddraig said.

"_It's okay, Ddraig. I know that I haven't been the best partner but… you've always been there for me. It's time I've repaid you and have your back for a change,_" Issei said.

**[It's ready]** Ddraig said.

"Good! Let's get wild!" Issei said as black and red energy flared around him.

**[This will replace your Cardinal Crimson Promotion but there's no chant to it. The power… it stopped resisting after your little speech just now. Use it. It should respond to you.]** Ddraig said.

"_Thanks, partner_," Issei said. Issei closed his eyes and a wave of power exploded from him. His eyes widened in shock at the black and red wisps of energy surging forth from his body.

The wave of power was enough to send Tiamat back slightly. Her eyes widened. She knew this power.

"Impossible! HOW! HOW DO YOU HAVE HER POWER!?" Tiamat roared.

"I don't even know what this is," Issei said. "But I will use this power to defeat you here and now!"

**[Crimson Moon: Full Drive!]** Ddraig announced. Issei's armor changed. The red tint of the Boosted Gear vanished as the armor bled black. The green jewels began to glow red as a pair of massive red wings appeared on Issei's back.

"It's over," Issei said.

**[Boost!] **

Issei appeared behind Tiamat and landed a kick on the back of her head. The dragoness roared in pain as she was sent careening into the forest floor.

"**Engur!**" Tiamat unleashed a massive beam of azure energy at Issei, who barely had any time to dodge.

"Even in this new form, she can still keep up with me? She's really strong," Issei said as he sped away from Tiamat's beam. "Time to test something out."

Issei raised his hand and fired a beam of black and red energy at Tiamat. Tiamat shielded herself with her wings, blocking the blast, however, a massive wound was left on the webbing of her wings.

"What?" she gasped as she began to lose altitude.

**[Now's your chance!]** Ddraig said.

Issei nodded and took to the skies.

"This is the end!" Issei said.

"No, I **REFUSE! UMMU-HUBUR!**" Tiamat formed a massive blue and black orb of pure chaos.

"Issei," Irina said. "ISSEI!"

**[Partner. That orb is empowered by the concept of Calamity. If it hits you, even in your new state, she might take you down]** Ddraig said.

"Tch! Then I won't back down either!" Issei said. He thrust his hands forward and focused all of his energy stockpiled from his boosts.

"DIE!" Tiamat yelled.

**[Dragon Break!]** Issei yelled as he fired his attack.

Tiamat's and Issei's beams collided with each other, clashing for dominance as neither gave way. Gradually, Issei was being pushed back as Tiamat poured more power into her attack.

"Damnit!" Issei yelled as he felt her pushing. He boosted his energy and pushed back, sending her skidding across the forest floor considerably. Stray arcs of energy from where their attacks clashed rained down chaos and oblivion all over the familiar forest.

"HAAAAH!" Issei roared as he kept Boosting his power. Tiamat's eyes widened as the beam pierced through her own attack. The world was bathed in crimson light as Tiamat was enveloped by the blast. Irina was forced to erect a barrier to keep from being blown away as the entire forest was leveled in the attack.

Issei landed, his visor vanishing as the light died down. His eyes traveled to the cloud of smoke as it cleared. Tiamat stumbled out of the smoke, blood pouring from several wounds. She glowed a bright blue, transforming into her human form. Tiamat held her torso as blood poured profusely from a massive hole in her abdomen. Issei remained rooted to his spot as she limped her way over.

"I… lost," Tiamat said weakly. She laughed a little then coughed a glob of blood onto Issei's shirt.

"It seems that you did," Issei said, catching her as she fell to her knee.

"Ironic, isn't it? This karma I'm facing… for killing all of Ddraig's hosts only to be slain by his latest one. Fate… has twisted… sense of humor," Tiamat chuckled as she faded in and out of consciousness.

Irina and Zinogre landed behind the two, listening as Tiamat spoke to Issei.

"Issei… I'm sorry for trying to kill you… at least… at least I got to hear him… one… last… time," she said. She reached up and cupped his cheek.

"NO! Don't say things like that! We'll get you patched up and we'll find a way to reunite you and Ddraig! I promised you this!" Issei said angrily as tears began to stream down his face.

"Strange. You're like the son I've always dreamed of having," she said, stroking his cheek soothingly as a mother would her child.

Issei's eyes widened as he felt a warmth come from Tiamat that he seldom felt from his own parents. Yes, his parents cared for and loved him but… he knew that he was always second best to his twin. Even if he never showed that he cared, he still wanted to feel what it felt like.

"Tiamat," Issei whispered, his tears flowing harder. He looked up and saw her smile.

"Don't cry…," she said as the bloodloss began to take hold. Her vision swam in and out as the child she wished to have with Ddraig appeared in her vision and blurred with Issei. She smiled comfortingly as her eyes slowly fell shut. "Mommy's just going… to sleep for a bit." Her hand fell off Issei's cheek as she fell to the ground.

Issei's eyes were wide in anguish as he watched Tiamat fall.

**[... Tiamat] **Ddraig said.

Irina and Zin watched sadly from the sidelines as Tiamat breathed her last. Her lifeforce was barely there. She would be dead in a few minutes. Irina looked towards Issei, who sat there frozen.

"No," Issei said.

**[Huh?]** Ddraig said.

"I refuse to let you die without seeing Ddraig again," Issei said. A whisper called out inside of Issei's head, placing him into autopilot. He quickly placed his hand on Tiamat's chest, closing his eyes and smirked when he felt it. She was still there but she was barely holding on.

**[Issei… what are you doing?]** Ddraig said

"I'm keeping a promise," Issei said. The **[Boosted Gear]** glowed brightly as it transformed into **[Boosted Gear Gift]**. The second gem began to glow a bright blue as Issei felt a surge of power and a familiar presence enter the Sacred Gear.

As if possessed, Issei chanted, guided by something inside of him.

"Phama gah paradial," Issei whispered. "My First Liberation was being granted Ddraig's power. My Second was to grant my power to protect others. My third was accepting the power of my rival to better protect those I cherished. My fourth shall be a promise kept to two lovers."

**[Issei…]** Ddraig said.

A new voice announced from Issei's **[Boosted Gear]** as the sapphire gem on the Gear glowed brightly.

**|Calamity Booster|** Tiamat's voice announced.

"Issei, what did you do?" Irina said, walking over to her.

"I righted the wrongs of a deed done hundreds of years ago and reunited two people whose happiness was robbed from them," Issei said, smiling.

**[Issei… I don't know what to say]** Ddraig said, looking down as a slumbering Tiamat appeared inside Issei's mindscape next to him. He bent down and nuzzled her gently.

"You don't need to thank me. I owe you more than you know," Issei said.

"Issei-sama," Zinogre said. Issei and Irina turned to her. He smiled and walked over to the Dragon petting her snout. Zinogre growled in embarrassment before resigning herself to his pleasurable rubs.

"Let's go home," Issei said. "By the way, what's that cat thing on your shoulder?"

"Oh, you mean Yuki? Isn't she adorable?" Irina said, holding the cat out as they disappeared in a flash of red light.

Above the forest, a figure hovered in mid-air. Her yellow eyes had observed the entire battle. She smiled serenely as the memories of a brown-haired boy following her came to her mind.

"You've grown up to be strong… just like your Onee-chan. I'll see you soon, my little Issei-chan," she said before disappearing.

* * *

"Tell me, Issei-sama's mate," Zin said as she sat on Issei's head. Once they had arrived in Kuoh, Issei had told her to shift her size into a more compact form as to not freak everyone out. Zin seemed to hate the idea but obeyed nonetheless, agreeing that panicking the humans wasn't a good idea.

"Yes," Irina said, her face turning red at what Zin had just called her.

"I assume that your familiar is that Cath Palug?" Zin asked.

"Yes… wait, she's what?" Irina asked.

"We're here," Issei said as he opened the gates. They walked up to the front door. Issei rang the doorbell, waiting for someone to answer.

"I got it," a voice said. The door swung open and the person dropped what they were holding.

"Issei-kun…," Akeno said as she looked at him.

* * *

**Well, once again, I have no idea where the Ddraig X Tiamat pairing came from or who in their right mind decided to create it but as always my credit shall go to xBrawlx. Go check out his stories guys, they're really good. So Issei finally has Tiamat inside the Sacred Gear... again. Someone also told me that use the red lightning wolf because **

**1\. It's cool.**

**2\. It fits Issei's color scheme.**

**So Issei has Zinogre instead of a lightning unicorn. And Irina has a Cath Palug. I want you all to know that it is not Fou. Before we end this chapter, that cath is not Fou. Another thing is that a lot of you have gleaned from the last chapter that each child has a power from a specific devil clan. I'm not gonna say anything but...**

**Now to answer some of your more interesting comments from the last chapter:**

**leader. dbz: Well, yes, that is technically what happened.**

**AnimeFan0216: Hehehe, who knows what ability Rias will develop by the time her eyes are fully developed? Will it be Gremory's ability to manipulate Space-Time, something like the Tsukuyomi, Truth-Seeker Orb like things? I actually know. I want you guys to guess.**

**Scrumblenut: Hmm, while I cannot confirm that statement... I do want to ask you which family Lily got her powers from? She used Ice that's your biggest hint. **

**SkellZero: Natalia's ability Luxuria has two applications of Suggestion and Compulsion. Compulsion is basically her making them act on whatever thought or feeling they have at the time. When combined with Suggestion, it's a sort of imperfect mind-control so to answer your question... yes, it was. She put thoughts in their head and subtly forced them to act upon it.**

**That's it for now. Remember, review, follow,... fav if you liked it and remember. Have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours~.**


	16. Old Man Taki and Sign Ups

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release**.

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, November 28, 2019, 10:30 PM, Current Time: 4 Minutes and 37 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Issei and Akeno just stared at each other in silence. Issei looked at her with barely any emotion in his face. Zin looked down at her new master and over to the woman in front of them and tilted her head in confusion. She sensed a million emotions running through the mind of her master. Anger. Sadness. Confusion. She had to stop to allow herself some room to calm down or else she would be overtaken by his emotions.

Irina looked between the two with bated breath. Yuki slept in her arms soundly unaware of the standoff between the two people in front of her. Her violet eyes darted back and forth between Akeno and Issei.

Akeno felt something slowly trickling down the sides of her face. She was crying. She was crying tears of joy. Joy at the fact that Issei had returned to them. Akeno could finally set things right with him and go back to how it used to be. The daily arguments the girls had at who would sleep with Issei first. Koneko and Ravel's constant war for Issei's lap. Discussing the future of Issei's harem and the girls they would approve. The names of children they would have. All of it. She would finally get it all back. She could fix the damage done to them.

"Issei… you're back," Akeno said, reaching out for him.

Issei stood there, looking at her sadly. He needed to do this. He needed to tell her.

"Akeno."

The two froze and turned to see Rias standing behind them. Rias and Issei locked eyes momentarily before looking away.

"Rias-sama! Issei is back! We can finally fix this! We can fix all the damage that was done!" Akeno said. Rias didn't have the heart to look at her. Behind Rias, the other girls had congregated at the door. Koneko wasted no time, sprinting over to Issei and hugging him tightly. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Issei when he gently grabbed her and pulled her off.

Koneko was confused. Why wasn't Issei returning her affections? Why was he looking at her with such sadness? Everything was going to be okay right? Akeno promised everything would be okay.

"Issei," Xenovia said, walking over to him.

"Everyone. Let's… take this inside," Issei said.

Rias nodded and motioned for her peerage to follow her in. Issei walked next to her. The air between them was awkward. Their remaining lingering feelings for each other made the walk to the living room longer than it needed to be.

Rossweisse glanced between Issei and Irina, the latter which sent her hand signals that told her that they would talk later.

Eventually, they reached the living room where Issei sat on one side and all the other girls, sans Irina, Asia, Mitsuki, and Ingvild stood off in between them. Kiba and Gasper also stood next to the four mentioned girls as they watched the tension grow heavier and heavier by the second.

"Issei," Rias said. "Just… tell them what you told me."

Issei bit his lip. So much for letting this all out gently. Rias practically threw him under the bus with those words.

"Rias-sama, what are you talking about? What did Issei tell you?" Akeno said.

"Akeno," Issei said, drawing her attention.

Akeno turned to him with pleading eyes. It was as if she knew what he was going to say. The other girls looked between the two, holding their breath as they waited for Issei to speak.

"_God, this is harder than I thought it would be_," Issei thought.

**[Just power through it. Like you did with Rias.]** Ddraig said.

Issei sucked in a breath and mentally prepared himself. It was like Rias. He needed to do this.

"Akeno, Koneko, Ravel, Xenovia… I'm sorry," Issei said.

"What are you apologizing for, Senpai? If anything, we should be apologizing to you! What do you want? A naked apron? A massage? Please tell us what we can do to-!" Koneko was interrupted by Issei.

"Koneko!"

She went quiet at his outburst. Issei sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"We can't continue this relationship anymore…," Issei said.

Akeno's eyes widened as tears began to stream down her face. She felt her heart slowly crumble to pieces while it was being dipped in boiling hot lava. Akeno quickly shook her head and smiled. It wasn't her normal flirty smile or her loving smile. This was a smile of someone desperate. Someone who was in denial.

"No, no, no. You're just lying! That… that was a nice joke, Issei! You got us there, right Rias?" Akeno said, nudging Rias with her elbow. Rias merely looked down, her heart tearing itself in two again. Tears fell from her eyes onto the floor before she looked up at Akeno.

"He's… not lying. He broke up with me already," Rias said.

"BUT WHY!?" Xenovia shouted. "IT'S NOT OUR FAULT! IT WAS THAT WITCH AND WHOEVER SHE WORKED FOR!"

Her aura was being released in waves and shook the entire building.

"XENOVIA! STAND DOWN!" Rias ordered, unleashing her aura and killing intent on the poor girl. Xenovia's mouth snapped shut and nodded her head shakily before sitting down.

"Issei… you're not leaving us right?" Ravel asked. "You're just joking right?"

"I'm sorry but I'm not. I know it wasn't your fault. It wasn't even Yatogami-sensei's fault but… even so, I didn't know. If I try to force myself, all I can see is you guys and what you did with them," Issei said. "It… hurts me just being in a relationship with you all. I'll tell you the same thing I did with Rias… it's not you guys. It's me. I can't see all of you without seeing them every time we do a romantic gesture. And for that, I'm sorry. Sorry for not being able to notice that you were controlled. Sorry for not being strong enough to overcome this get back with you because even though I'm a dragon or devil or whatever the hell I am. I'm still human where it counts and I hurt like a human does. I can't forget but… I can forgive. Maybe one day… we'll be close again but never as lovers."

"Senpai… no. Please! I'll do anything! Just, please! Don't leave me!" Koneko said, jumping onto Issei. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, refusing to let go.

"Koneko…," Issei said.

"I'll give you virginity! Is that good enough!? Will that prove it!?" Koneko said.

"Koneko," Rias said. She placed her hand on Koneko's shoulder.

"No!" she said.

"Please don't make me do this," Rias said.

"I won't accept this! You gave up too easily! You-!"

"Go to sleep," Rias said as her eyes flashed blue. An eerie flower design spun lazily around her pupil.

Koneko's eyes began to droop slowly before the grasp of sleep took her and she collapsed onto Issei.

Xenovia looked at Issei with tears streaming down her face.

"I… need to be alone," Xenovia said, leaving the room in a hurry. She walked past Irina, who looked at her sadly.

"Ravel," Issei said.

She walked over to him and slapped him.

"RAVEL!" Rias scolded.

"I can't believe this. I won't believe this. But… if that's what you want, let me have it," Ravel said, leaning in. "One more time."

Issei looked at her with a slightly stunned look before nodding. He cupped her face and gave her one last kiss to which she returned fervently. The two poured their feelings into it before Ravel pulled out and formed a magic circle, most likely teleporting back to the Phenex Manor.

He turned his gaze on who looked at him blankly. Without saying a word, Akeno stood and ran out of the house. Issei and Rias were shocked but nevertheless expected the action. As Issei got up to go catch up with her, Rias placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll… I'll go get her," Rias said. "You go rest. We'll talk more in the morning."

Issei nodded. Rias smiled a little and left the house to pursue Akeno. After he heard the door close behind her, Issei collapsed back into the couch, Koneko still asleep on him.

Kiba walked over to him and took Koneko off him. Sensing the tension from a few seconds earlier, Kiba attempted to change the subject.

"Did you have a nice trip?" Kiba asked as he placed Koneko on the other side of the couch.

"You have no idea," Issei said, chuckling.

"Well," Rossweisse said, sitting down next to Issei. "How about you all tell us what happened over in the states to try and get your mind off things that happened here?"

"Well, it went something like this," Issei started.

* * *

Akeno ran. It was all she could do and it was what she was best at. She had run from her past before. Before Issei brought her and her past together and reconciled them. And now, what was she doing? Running. Running from the rejection. Running from the anguish. Blinded by the tears that poured from her eyes like a river cascading over a waterfall, Akeno turned a corner and ran.

After several minutes of running, Akeno tripped and fell face first. Groaning and rubbing her head, she opened her eyes and gasped at where she had run to. It was a small overlook located a ways away from the neighborhood in which they lived. It was where Issei had taken her before the Battle against Trihexa. It was where… they promised their futures with each other. The memory was as clear as day to her.

* * *

"_Issei-kun?" Akeno looked at Issei curiously as he took her hand and led her down the road. Issei had a shit-eating grin on his face as he led her up the road, climbing up the hill._

"_Huh? Oh, Akeno-san, don't worry! You're going to love this place. I showed it to Buchou a while back on our second date and we come here frequently when we go alone," Issei said, grinning._

_Akeno smiled warmly, a light blush dusting her cheeks._

_The two walked in comfortable silence for several more minutes until Issei went off the road and down a dirt path. Curious, Akeno merely followed along, appreciating the wildlife around her. Birds chirped happily while critters chattered amongst each other in the trees. It was times like this that Akeno forgot the War against the Khaos Brigade. The war against Rizevim Livan Lucifer. It was just… an ideal peace. And it was one that they would be willing to sacrifice themselves for. Just for more days like this. Days when all that mattered were your looks, grades, and next food or whatever it was people desired. But for one Akeno Himejima, all she wanted was more. More peaceful moments with her beloved Issei. _

"_Here we are!" Issei said as he let go of her hand. He gestured dramatically to it. Akeno marveled at how beautifully simple it all was. It wasn't grand nor did it possess the alluring beauty that meadows that painters gazed upon had. But it was charming in its own way. Before her, was a cliff meadow filled with several species of flowers, the most abundant being the white daisy. A gentle breeze wafted past them, making all the flowers sway and dance gently. Akeno smiled at the scenery. No wonder Issei and Rias came here often. What it lacked in majesty, it made up for in its simplicity._

"_Irina and I used to come here a lot when we were kids," Issei said. He knelt next to a rock where they etched their names with a knife that Irina had stolen from her father. Well, back then, he was unaware that she was a girl, something she never let him live down. A distant memory of a childhood long gone._

_I+I Besties Forever._

_He smiled and his eyes drifted down to another etch in the rock._

_I+R, A Bond Unbreakable_

"_Issei-kun," Akeno said. She glanced over his shoulder and saw the etches in the rock._

"_Wanna have a go at it?" Issei asked._

"_What about the others?" Akeno asked._

"_I'll take them up one by one but for now, wanna carve our names?" Issei asked, handing her a small knife._

"_Adding more girls to your little official harem tally?" Akeno asked, teasingly as she knelt next to him._

"_That's right. This here rock shall be proof that I, Issei Hyoudou, have gone to where no man has gone before. I have sampled all Oppai! Big Oppai! Small Oppai! Medium Sized Oppai! In-Between Oppai! This rock shall prove that I have become Harem King!" Issei boasted._

_Akeno giggled at Issei's small speech._

"_Let's start but… mine will be different from theirs!" Akeno said, positioning the blade of the knife on the rock._

* * *

Akeno smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her fingers traced over the etch that she and Issei had created on the rock in front of her.

_Ordained by Heaven and Hell themselves_

_May they be forever entwined and have a bond _

_Greater than any before them and after them_

_Issei and his Akeno_

"Issei," Akeno's face began to break in despair as the more she recalled the conversation they had earlier. The words etched before her were just a cruel lie. A dashed hope. A shattered dream.

Akeno just sobbed quietly, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them closely. As she sobbed, all her instincts began to scream at her to run. A twig snapped behind her, snapping her out of her despair. She turned and saw no one but she could sense it.

An ominous, malevolent feeling that permeated the air and threatened to make her vomit at how vile it felt.

"Who's there?" Akeno asked. "Come out!"

"Oh, dear child," the voice said, seemingly coming from every direction. "Your despair… pains me."

Akeno gritted her teeth. It mocked her. Mocked her grief.

"But I do love to see my handiwork every now and again," the voice whispered from behind her.

Akeno snapped and blasted the area behind her with a bolt of yellow lightning, destroying a large portion of the field.

"How rude," the voice said. Akeno felt a chill go down her spine, ever so slowly as if it enjoyed the feeling it gave her.

Akeno whirled around desperately, firing blast after blast of lightning into the air. All the while, the voice laughed and continued to mock her.

* * *

Rias walked down the road, looking for her best friend. She sighed.

"Akeno! Come on! Let's talk!" Rias said.

No response from anyone.

"I know that it hurts. I really do. Please let me help you! Let's help each other!" Rias called out.

A blast of lightning ignited the night sky, catching Rias's attention. She felt Akeno's power rise as if responding to something. Worry swirled around inside her gut as she took off running in the direction of the lightning bolt.

* * *

"It's futile, little girl," the voice said.

Akeno gritted her teeth. Her eyes darted around, watching as the shadows grew more and more pronounced as the light of the moon began to fade into the darkness.

"Tch! **Holy Lightning Dragon!**" Akeno yelled as a massive dragon with five heads comprised of yellow lightning manifested itself and roared.

"Ohh? Holy Lightning~! I haven't seen anyone use Holy Lightning since my mother and Baraqiel," the voice said.

"And now you can taste it!" Akeno said as she threw her hand down. The dragon roared and attacked the area, firing at every shadow she could find. Explosions rocked the field as lightning rained down on the area.

"Now, now."

Akeno felt a sharp pain erupt on her back as she was knocked onto the floor. She looked up and saw the shadows consuming her dragon.

"Gah!" Akeno felt herself being lifted by the throat, a shadowy hand wrapped around it and began to crush her windpipes. She looked down and saw a male shadowy figure with toxic yellow eyes staring into her own.

"Now, now, little bird. I need your help. You see," the figure leaned in and whispered into Akeno's ear. Her eyes widened as her struggles grew more desperate with each word he said.

"Understand?" he asked.

"I will never help you! You can go to Hel-!" Akeno's voice was drowned out as black smoke forced itself into her mouth. The figure in front of her was slowly vanishing as the smoke entered her body.

"Been there… done that. Besides, your compliance was never a factor," the figure said before it vanished. Akeno fell as the shadows disappeared. Her entire body spasmed on the ground as her eyes were wide. Her irises flickered between violet and yellow before finally settling on violet.

"Ugghhh," Akeno put a hand on her head, trying to make the throbbing pain subside.

"Akeno!"

She turned and saw Rias running towards her.

"Rias-sama?" Akeno said.

"Are you alright?" Rias asked. Her eyes widened when she saw the devastation around her.

"What happened?" Akeno asked.

"What? I was about to ask you that. It looks like you had a temper tantrum or something," Rias said. "What happened? Did our breakup with Issei really…?"

"No, it's… I don't remember anything past coming here," Akeno said.

"Come on," Rias said, placing Akeno's arm over her shoulder. "Let's get you home."

"Yeah," Akeno said.

* * *

**4:56 AM**

* * *

The doorbell rang over and over, waking Issei up. He groaned as he slipped out of bed and walked groggily to his door. Making his way down the stairs, Issei walked blearily over to the door. He looked out the window and saw that the sun was barely rising over the horizon. Who the hell was knocking on the door at this hour?

The doorbell chimed once more, causing Issei to groan.

"Okay, okay!" Issei said as he unlocked the door. He opened it to reveal the ever-familiar ears of Risa, who stood there looking at him.

"Risa-san," Issei said, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"Issei," Risa said. "You could have told me you guys were leaving."

"Sorry, but we didn't want to disturb you on… whatever it was you were doing," Issei said.

"It's fine," Risa said.

"Are you going to greet me too?" a voice from behind Risa said.

Issei blinked and noticed a tall elderly man standing behind the Tanuki Angel. The old man behind her was muscular for his age with long flowing white hair. His bangs framed his jaw and had dark red eyes. He wore a simple black kimono with a haori over it. Around his neck was a red scarf decorated with yellow flower designs. He wore a black hakama with black tabi boots and around his neck, sticking out from below his scarf was a necklace with the Blacklight Logo.

"Um, who are you?" Issei asked, glancing at the old man.

"Issei, this is Taki Adashino. He's the Head of the Japanese Chapter of Blacklight," Risa said.

"This old guy?" Issei asked.

"Hahahaha! I like you brat!" Taki said. "Now show me the booze. I haven't had a drink in a while."

"Taki-dono! Please refrain from drinking this early!" Risa said as the old man walked past her and Issei and into the house.

"Hey, it's nine o'clock somewhere," Taki said.

"Hey, wait! Don't touch that!" Issei said as he ran after the man.

After getting Taki some sake, Issei and Risa sat down in front of the man as he downed the bottle in front of them. They were amazed at how much a single human, let alone an elderly one, could drink.

"Are you going to be okay?" Issei asked.

"It's gonna take more than one bottle of this cheap shit to kill me, kid," Taki said as he leaned back.

"Why are you here?" Issei asked.

"Well, I came to see the newest member of my branch! The Red Dragon Emperor himself!" Taki said.

"So you came to induct me?" Issei asked.

"Not just you but your twin and the angel. As new, priority members, I took it upon myself to introduce you to our world," Taki said, taking another swig of sake from the bottle. "Haha, this is the good stuff. Must be one of the perks of knowing the current Lucifer!"

"You just called it cheap shit two seconds ago," Risa said.

"I did?" Taki asked.

"Yeah. So, do we have to do anything now that you're here? Like, move closer to the base?" Issei asked.

"No, you can stay here. Most agents don't live in the base. The only ones who do are the employees and hunters who live in the area. You're fine where you are," Taki said.

"So what now?" Issei asked.

"Now, I take you to the main base and give you a small tour. Introduce you to your fellow agents. I already have you guys assigned to the Hunter Division. R&D and Information won't cut it for you three," Taki said.

"Wait now?" Issei asked.

"Yup," Taki said, grinning.

"Can't this wait?" Issei said, yawning.

"No can do, kid," Taki said. "We have to leave while the others are still asleep."

"Ugghh, it's so early though," Issei complained.

"Don't worry. This'll be the only time I do this but it's better to do it now than later while no one knows. Just get that operative from America, your girlfriend, and sister and leave a note or something," Taki said.

"Fine. Risa, can you come up with an excuse for us?" Issei asked.

"You want me to lie?" she asked.

"Yeah," Issei said.

"Alright. I'll try to keep them off your back," Risa said, sighing in annoyance as her red eyes rested upon the old man in front of them.

"Sorry to drop this on you all of a sudden," Issei said.

"It's fine," Risa reassured him, smiling as she did.

"Let me go get Ingvild, Irina, and Mitsuki," Issei said.

After several minutes passed and several groans and yells of anger coming from the second floor later, Issei stood at the base of the stairs with Mitsuki on his back sleeping and Irina standing next to him, trying to rub the remaining sleep from her eyes. Ingvild just stood there with her eyes half-closed and yawning constantly. All four wore baggy clothing as Taki stood in front of them.

"I promise. I'll have you back in time to get some sleep," Taki said. He raised his hand and pulled back his sleeve, revealing a small black watch.

"Okay. I need a rift at these coordinates," Taki said.

A voice came from the watch.

"_Copy that Leader_," the voice said.

"Wait, are you opening a Warp Gate?" Ingvild asked.

"Yup," he said.

"This place is warded and they'll sense it," Issei said.

"Oh, I'm disrupting the warding right now to allow this. I know that this place is warded. Oh and for future reference, maybe have someone else place warding. It's very easy to break into," Taki said.

A whirring noise alerted them to the space in front of Taki. The air warped and collapsed in on itself as the lights flickered. A familiar green vortex opened in front of them.

"Welp, after you," Taki said, gesturing to the four.

Ingvild shrugged before walking into the portal. Issei and Irina looked at each other while Mitsuki finally opened her eyes and kicked her brother lightly. He moved his head back, lightly slamming it into her face before walking into the portal with Irina.

Taki took one last sip of the sake before setting the bottle down and walked in, the portal closing behind him.

Risa stood there looking at the place where the portal once was for a few seconds before walking upstairs to get some much-needed sleep.

* * *

**Japanese Blacklight Base, Kegon Falls, Japan**

* * *

Issei, Irina, Mitsuki, and Ingvild marveled at the sight as they arrived. It was as impressive as the American Base. They had arrived in the docking bay. Dozens of land mobiles, aircraft, and ships were being maintained as engineers ran back and forth across the hangar. The sound of crashing water meant that they were near a waterfall.

"The base extends underneath Lake Chuzenji and is carved into the mountain where Kegon Falls pours over," Taki said as he appeared behind them.

"The base is underwater?" Ingvild asked.

"Most of it is," he said. "The Hangar Bay is the only part that extends above the ground so to speak."

"There's has to be a zillion boats and jets in here," Irina said. "How do you guys get them out without being noticed?"

"Highly advanced cloaking technology courtesy of MagiTech developed in our labs," Taki said.

"Oh yeah, I remember Tohka and Mica mentioning something about that. What is MagiTech?" Issei asked, getting Mitsuki off his back.

"I'll explain while I give you a tour of the base and explain what we do here… did Cornelius tell you what we do?" Taki asked as he led them out of the Bay.

"Yeah, you guys hunt monsters right? And monitor the pantheons?" Irina said.

"We do more than that. We're like a shadow Red Cross only if the Red Cross fought terrorists too. We don't just monitor the Supernatural World, we monitor the Human World too… because in some ways, humans are worse monsters than Gods," Taki said as he placed his hand on a scanner.

Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina remained silent while Ingvild nodded along.

"Anyway, as you probably know about the American Chapter, it was founded by Catherine D'Arc, the younger sister of Jeanne D'Arc," Taki said. "The Japanese Chapter was founded by Durand Lassois, who was Jeanne D'Arc's uncle. He came here after Jeanne-sama was burned at the stake for her repeated victories in the Hundred Years War."

"So this branch was founded by her uncle?" Irina asked.

"Yes, Lassois-sama is forever immortalized here as a memory," Taki said.

"How big is the base?" Ingvild asked.

"Hmm, the American Chapter's main headquarters is about 20 square kilometers in surface area. Our main HQ is about 17 square kilometers. Mainly because of the fact that we're near a tourist attraction. A majority of that area is at the bottom of Lake Chuzenji," Taki said. "Ah."

In front of them was a small golf-cart similar to the one they rode in the American Chapter.

"Get in," Taki said as he got in the driver's seat.

"No one drives these for you guys?" Mitsuki asked as she sat in the back next to Ingvild.

"We do but I have my own and I can guarantee you that Cornelius does too," Taki said as he turned on the cart.

The group drove down a massive road that connected the main complex's various departments. They looked and saw several rooms with people tinkering on devices, people experimenting with chemicals, and several windows where they saw people sparring with each other.

"Hey, Taki," Issei said.

"Yeah?" Taki said.

"What are those people working on?" Issei asked.

"Ah, right MagiTech. MagiTech is our answer to the Sacred Gear," Taki said. "You know how Azazel has artificial Sacred Gears that he creates?"

They nodded.

"Our version and answer to that is MagiTech. At least, originally that was the purpose of the invention. It was developed during the Mexican-American War in the United States and soon became a collaborative effort by our organization's brightest minds," Taki said.

"But it failed in the end," he said.

"It failed?" Irina asked.

"Yes, much like Artificial Sacred Gears, MagiTech failed to achieve the same effects as a Sacred Gear but instead, we got something more out of it," he said. "Unlike Sacred Gear, MagiTech is more flexible, more uses for it other than combat or performing miracles. MagiTech can be used for everyday purposes. All of our technology here is MagiTech. From the base computers to the satellites we have in orbit around the Earth."

"So they can be used as weapons too?" Issei asked.

"Yes. Most of the MagiTech seen in the base can be considered Generalized, or for public use," Taki said. "But MagiTech weapons have another category added to them. Specialized MagiTech Weapons or SMWs for short."

"What's the difference?" Mitsuki asked.

"SMWs can only be used by the person it was specifically forged for due to the specific recognition of the donor's soul signature," he said.

"Soul signature?" Irina asked.

"SMWs are forged with a piece of the commissioner's soul," Ingvild answered for her. "That way, after it's done, no one other than the commissioner can use it."

"So when can we get one?" Issei asked. He winced as Irina elbowed him in the side.

"Don't be rude," she said.

"HAHAHA!" Taki said. "I'll send a notice down to R&D after we get you settled, there are still some things we need to talk about."

Mitsuki's eyes glanced down over the railing to a massive arena-style room. It was massive, at least several hundred meters across.

"What's that?" Mitsuki asked.

"Oh, that? That's one of our sparring areas for simulation training. The room is meant to simulate over 325 different environments using a combination of space-time seals and Warp Gate MagiTech," Taki said.

"Even weather conditions?" Irina asked.

"Even that. Most of the enemies or bots that we spawn are constructed of solidified light similar to Angelic Light but not holy. We refer to it as Hard Light. You can adjust the AI setting from Easy to Difficult," Taki said.

Issei and Mitsuki grinned at his words.

After a few more minutes of driving, Taki stopped and parked the cart outside a room.

"We'll talk more in here," he said as he exited the cart. The rest followed him and entered the room. Inside was a massive computer with several floating screens at the center of the chamber. Desks lined the east side of the room while shelves upon shelves lined the west. At the northern end of the room was another computer, but this time it was smaller than the one in the center.

"Wow, your data room is bigger than ours," Ingvild said, marveling at the sight.

"Hah, Cornelius needs to step up his game," Taki said.

"Not needed. We have Dantalion in our chapter," Ingvild said.

Taki snorted in amusement as he led them to the computer at the end of the room.

"Here to officially get you into the Organization. We'll see if the registration that Cornelius did works," Taki said. He reached into the air and a small void formed in front of him. He reached in and grabbed three small metallic spheres.

"I assume you have yours on you, Leviathan-san?" Taki asked, glancing at them.

"Yup! I have it right here," Ingvild said, pulling a small sphere from her pocket.

"Go ahead and log in," Taki said, stepping aside.

Ingvild walked forward to the terminal and placed her sphere inside a small indent in the terminal's interface. The sphere glowed as the screen began to change.

_Welcome, Ingvild Leviathan_

"Woah. Is this your database?" Mitsuki asked.

"Not our entire database but most of it. Like any other organization, we do have clearance levels," Taki said.

Ingvild pressed her sphere and logged out of the system.

"All yours," she said.

"So, who's first?" Taki said.

"I'll go!" Mitsuki said. Taki handed her a silver sphere with blue highlights.

"How do I do this?" she asked.

"Place the sphere on that small indent like Ingvild did. Oh, by the way, these are called Armillary Spheres, or AS for short. They're like phones but are connected to our network. You can access the surface layer of the database from anywhere as well as the internet," Taki said.

Mitsuki nodded and placed her AS on the small circular indent and it whirred to life much like Ingvild's did.

_Scanning..._

_Scanning…_

_Welcome, Mitsuki Hyoudou_

"Cool!" she said, pressing the sphere and logging out.

Irina went next, receiving a sphere with white highlights on it. Mimicking Mitsuki and Ingvild, she placed her AS on the indent.

_Welcome, Irina Shidou_.

She smiled and pressed the sphere, logging out.

"Last but not least," Taki said, handing Issei a silver sphere with red and black highlights.

Issei placed his AS on the small indent and logged in.

_Welcome, Issei Hyoudou._

"So, how do I access the database?" Issei asked.

"Firstly, log out," Taki said. Issei pressed the sphere and logged off. Taki walked over to the screen and swiped it, slicing off a tablet-sized transparent rectangle and handed it to Issei.

"Here you go. I'll show you how to access it from your AS later but for now, click on that little star icon," Taki said.

Issei looked down at the screen and tapped on the star.

_Accessing Blacklight Dossier_

A search tab appeared on the screen with a keyboard underneath.

"You can search that while we head to my office," Taki said as he walked past them.

Issei nodded as he followed them out. Taki's voice was drowned out as he concentrated on his tablet.

"O...phis," Issei typed.

_Blacklight Dossier: File ∞_

_File Name: Ophis_

_GPS Ranking: Primal Class Being_

_File Info:_

_The Infinite Dragon God. Ouroboros Dragon. Other than that, knowledge of her falls under speculation or rumors as she has never been observed here. But through texts we found in the Genesis Tablet and had translated by the last Prophet, Ophis is a Primal Being. One who embodied Primal Chaos, that which existed before the Material World. She who sliced Assiah and Beriah apart. Ophis is theorized to have descended from a higher dimension above that of which we have discovered so far. From the tablet's translation, there existed two before the concepts of Dream, Divinity, Life, and Death. Chaos and Genesis. Ophis was Primordial Chaos. Genesis's identity has yet to be translated due to a lack of a Prophet._

_Currently, Ophis has isolated herself once more in the Dimensional Gap, with no intention of coming to Assiah for now._

"Hey, Taki?" Issei asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"What's a Primal Class Being?" Issei asked.

"Ah, it's our addition to the Global Power System. As you know, the Power Ranking goes as follows: Low, Middle, High, Ultimate, and Deity. However, Ophis and Great Red cannot be constrained to such a rank so we created a rank for them known as Primal Class. There's a class between Primal and Deity known as Cosmic but that's for later," Taki said.

"Where would Trihexa fall?" Irina asked.

"We don't know but based on observations, it's a Primal Class being. A strange one considering that Primal Class Beings are considered to be older than Creation or as old," Taki said.

Issei nodded and swiped through. He read more and more files, all of them extremely detailed. There was one of Rias, containing details about her Issei didn't even know about and Issei doubted that she knew this.

"Did you know Rias had an older sister?" Issei said, catching Irina's attention.

"She had what?" Irina leaned over and looked at the file.

"Annalise Gremory," Issei said. He clicked on the photo and a picture of a beautiful young woman with vibrant, unruly red hair appeared on his screen. Her soft blue eyes stared gently back at him and a gentle smile was plastered on her face.

"Woah, she looks like an older Rias," Irina commented.

"Let me see!" Mitsuki snatched the tablet from Issei.

"Wow… she really does look like Rias," Mitsuki muttered.

"What happened to her?" Irina asked.

"Says here she's dead. Died in combat during the Devil Civil War upon orders of Rizevim Livan Lucifer, who utilized the Naamah Clan to do it. It also says that her death caused… Sirzechs-nii to slaughter most of the clan… Jeez," Issei said.

"Alright, here we are at the main R&D Lab," Taki said, pressing his hand on the door.

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki's eyes widened at the sight. The lab was large. At least as large as Kuoh Academy High School. Engineers and various people in lab coats rushed through the lab, carrying papers. Some were busy building and tinkering with various devices while others were holding vials of raw energy, pouring it into what looked like a mold used to forge weaponry and tools. Pieces of technology so advanced, Azazel would drool upon seeing them, lined the rooms. Large blowtorches melded metals together. Hardlight screens in the place of computers, as well as pieces of tech that Issei was unfamiliar, were being used by everyone.

"What are they doing?" Ingvild asked. "I've never been in R&D before."

"Hmm," Taki glanced over to where she was looking. "Ah, MagiTech requires specialized cores composed of pure magical energy. We collect crystallized magical energy that collects in places around the world and from the air."

"So are we here to get our own MagiTech weapons?" Issei asked.

"No, just here to show you the lab. We'll get you your weapons after you sign up," Taki said.

"Sign up?" Irina tilted her head. "Do we have to wait in a queue?"

"No, you're signing up for that Worldwide Rating Game right?" Taki asked, turning to them.

"Yeah, how'd you…?"

"Know?" Taki pulled out his AS and let it levitate in front of him. The sphere glowed before projecting a monitor-sized screen in front of them. The monitor was littered with notices and news broadcasts from different pantheons on the upcoming Azazel Cup. "It's all over the Supernatural World."

"But how'd you know I'd sign up?" Issei asked.

"You're the Red Dragon Emperor. A tournament to test your power. It's a chance I wouldn't pass up and you wouldn't either," Taki said.

**[The old man is right, Issei]** Ddraig said. **[This could be a chance for you to prove your worth in front of the World. And remember, you said you'd participate.]**

"Hmm, are sign-ups still happening? I know that they started a few weeks back," Issei said.

"They still are. They end next week," Taki said.

"Then it's settled! We sign up! Can we get a portal down to Lucifaad?" Issei asked, pumping his fist in excitement.

"Hold it," Taki said, freezing Issei in place.

"Eh?" the four turned to look at him with bewildered expressions.

"I can't risk you guys exposing us by using our Warp Gate to go to the heart of Devil Territory. I'll bridge you back to your house and you go from there," Taki said.

"You'll stay in touch?" Issei asked.

"I will. I'm your Chapter Head after all," Taki said, placing his hand on Issei's shoulder.

"We'll be counting on you to take care of us from here on out, old man," Issei said.

"Welcome to Blacklight, brat," Taki said.

* * *

**Lucifaad, 2:40 PM**

* * *

Kuroka skipped through the streets with Vali, Arthur, and Bikou trailing behind her. Her cat ears twitched in happiness at the thought of seeing Issei during the tournament. Vali had been tightlipped about his whereabouts but… she would find out sooner or later. For now, all she could do is pester him.

"Vali. Issei is signing up, right?" Kuroka asked, stopping to turn to the Cambion behind her.

"For the last time, he is. Now let's just go sign ourselves in before we miss the deadline," Vali said.

Kuroka narrowed her eyes a little before smiling and walking ahead.

Vali pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in annoyance. Ever since Kuroka got back, it was Issei, Issei, Issei over and over and over again. It was grating to listen to and everyone at the Grigori was on the last shred of their nerves. Penemue had dragged Vali by the ear and told him to tell Kuroka where Issei was or she would in her words "yeet the cat into the depths of Tzalmavet."

"Vali, we need to find Issei before Azazel decides to smite Kuroka," Bikou said.

"If we're lucky, we'll run into him here," Arthur said as he pushed up his glasses.

They arrived at the main building for sign-ups. The doors were wide open, gods, devils, angels, and other races all walked out, holding a small tablet in their hands as they discussed team placements. Vali blinked when he saw a familiar mop of red hair walking out of the building.

"Rias!" Vali called.

"Mmm? Ah, Vali," Rias said, glancing over at him.

"Is Issei here?" Vali asked, walking over to her.

"No, he disappeared this morning," Rias said. "I guess… he doesn't want to see me or the rest of us."

Vali remained silent as he looked at Rias. His eyes softened in pity.

"Hyoudou isn't one to hold grudges. Trust me," Vali said. "You two will be close again. Maybe not in the way you wish but… you will."

"Thanks, Vali. I… have to go now," Rias said, smiling. She waved before disappearing in a red magic circle.

* * *

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki walked down the halls of the building, waiting in line. He expected a lot of people but this… this was way too many. Demigods, monsters, youkai, angels, devils, and some gods were chatting happily in line, forming alliances and betting on who would win. Some were boasting about their power and how they were going to wipe the competition.

"This place reeks of testosterone," Mitsuki said.

"I'm kind of jealous that Ingvild decided to go back to sleep. This place is… annoyingly loud," Issei said.

"Next!" the secretary said.

"Oh right!" Issei walked forward to the secretary.

"Name?" the man said.

"Um, Issei Hyoudou," Issei said.

At the mention of his name, the man perked his head up. The entire room went silent as every head turned in his direction.

Issei began to sweat as he felt the eyes of every occupant in the room glued onto him.

"Um, I said my name is Issei Hyoudou," Issei said.

"R- Right! I'm so sorry!" the woman next to the man said as she reached down and pulled out a small red mahogany box. "We didn't realize you'd be participating as your own team!

"Um, yeah," Issei said as he accepted the box.

"Here!" the man said. "This tablet is used to register your team. You'll also get alert for future match-ups and keep track of the leaderboard."

Issei accepted the small tablet and turned it on.

"Good luck on your match, Oppai Dragon-sama," the woman said.

Issei groaned and thanked her before rushing out of the building, followed by Irina and Mitsuki.

"My wish… will be the end of that nickname," Issei said as he walked out of the building.

"It's not that bad, Aniki. At least you get royalties from it," Mitsuki said, consoling her twin.

"No amount of royalties is worth this. I'm the Red Dragon Emperor!" Issei said.

As Issei and Mitsuki argued, Issei felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced ahead of them and saw one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life. She had vibrant, long, and unruly red hair with the bangs framing her face. She had dull blue eyes and wore a black cloak that covered her whole body. Most of her face was concealed by her hood but Issei was able to see it. He saw the look on her face.

The group walked past them and out of the corner of his eye, Issei saw the woman smile at him. Not the type of smile used when greeting someone but it was… he didn't have any words to describe it.

He snapped out of his trance when he heard his sister calling his name. He turned and saw that they had worried looks on their faces.

"Aniki? Are you listening?" Mitsuki asked.

"Ise-kun. Are you okay? You were kind of out of it just now," Irina said.

"Huh? Did you guys not see her?" Issei said.

"See who?" Mitsuki asked.

"That woman who just walked by us," Issei said.

"What woman?" Irina asked.

"That… one?"

The woman was nowhere to be seen, having long since disappeared in the crowd of people that were entering and exiting the building for sign-ups.

"I swear she was right there! She looked almost like…," Issei said.

"Almost like who, Aniki?" Mitsuki asked.

"Almost like Rias," Issei said.

Irina and Mitsuki blinked and glanced at each other. Irina turned back to Issei and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's probably one of her cousins or something," Irina said.

"Yeah, maybe," Issei said.

"Come on. Let's head home so we can discuss who we put on our team," Issei said as they formed a red magic circle.

* * *

Naamah stood at the door, waiting for her companion to arrive. In her hand was a small mahogany box filled with Evil Pieces. A small smile appeared on her face. Beelzebub may have been insane but she had to admit… the man had a brilliant mind.

"Naamah-sama," a voice called out.

Naamah looked up and saw her companion running towards her.

"Apollyon," Naamah waved at her. Apollyon bowed respectfully and brushed her red hair out of the way.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Naamah-sama," Apollyon said.

"Nonsense. I'm not Beelzebub so relax," Naamah said.

"Where is Lilith-sama? Or Leviathan-sama?" Apollyon asked.

"Nee-sama is off with Astar taking care of some business. Leviathan is at the base, as usual, prepping for the next batch," Naamah said.

"Has Beelzebub-sama informed you of why we are here at Lucifaad?" Apollyon asked.

"Yes, he has," Naamah said. "We're to infiltrate the games and find any of them that have decided to participate."

"But the only one here is…," Apollyon said.

"The Red Dragon Emperor? Yes, I know. Beelzebub requested assistance in capturing a high-priority target. We're here to lessen the chances of failure," Naamah said as they walked down the street.

"So what now?" Apollyon asked.

"Now," Naamah said as a sadistic smile graced her beautiful features. "Now we wait."

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**AnimeFan0216: Hmm, I don't want to reveal it so soon... but yes, Tiamat and Issei's relationship will develop over time to that of a mother-son type. As you know, this might cause some friction...**

**Scrumblenut: It's not Sitri or Leviathan. Oh, thank you for your input on the chapter structure. I'll separate important flashbacks from the main story by giving them their own chapter in the future.**

** : Thanks! What do you think Issei's power is?**

**OechsnerC: Thanks, man!**

**18Andrew: Oh don't worry. I still plan to have Issei use them kind of like how Issei can summon a Ddraig avatar in canon but this one will be different. If you remember from the original version, you'll know what I'm talking about.**

* * *

**Alrighty! I hope you're all staying safe and healthy out there. Washing your hands, covering your mouth, and if you are sick, staying home. Please don't fight over toilet paper. I assume that all your bathrooms have a damn shower. Anyway, that was my PSA about Covid-19. Haha! How do you think this tournament will go down? Who will they fight? I can assure you that it's not the same people... mostly. Not even in the same order. Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review, follow, fav and have a nice day/night or not, the choice is yours~.**

**Stay healthy.**


	17. Team Building and Relationship Statuses

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release**.

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, December 2, 2019, 11:30 AM; Current Time: 4 Minutes and 35 Seconds**

* * *

Issei yawned, leaning back in his chair. It was nice to be back in school where he knew everyone. While it was nice going to Eve, Issei missed the familiarity of Kuoh Academy. He looked around and smiled a little. A perverted giggle threatened to escape his mouth as he watched all the girls in the classroom.

"It's good to be- OW!" Issei rubbed the top of his head and saw Irina standing behind him, holding a book. An aura of death surrounded her as her dull eyes bore into Issei's.

"You were thinking lewd thoughts, weren't you?" Irina said.

"Um, no?" Issei said.

"Iri-chi, you're better off chopping him on the head more," a voice in front of them said. Irina and Issei turned around and saw Murayama standing in front of them. She reached down and grabbed Issei's cheek.

"Ow! MUWAYAMA! WET WO!" Issei complained as she pulled hard on his cheek.

"Murayama-san, please let Issei go," Irina said.

"Right, I'll let you deal with him," Murayama said as she walked off, most likely to go talk to Katase once more.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Issei asked.

Irina nodded and the two left the classroom. Walking down the hall, Issei and Irina walked in silence past the crowds of students that were heading down to the cafeteria to get some food before their brief lunch break was over.

"I was wondering. Who should we put in our little squad?" Issei asked, glancing at her.

"Hmm? You're asking me?" Irina replied.

"Yeah. I already know that Mii-chan is going to be on our team since she and I are heading down to Agares Territory to ask Seekvaira permission to allow Mitsuki on our team," Issei said.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Irina asked as Issei opened the door. The two stepped out into the school roof area and sat down by one of the railings. It was a beautiful day. It wasn't too cold as the sun's rays poured down on the Earth, creating a nice warm December day. There were a few clouds in the sky that cast their shadows over the land but not enough to blot out the sun. A nice cool breeze blew past them, causing the two to shiver.

"You can if you want," Issei said.

Irina smiled and put her head on Issei's shoulder.

"Hey Issei, what are we?" Irina asked. Ever since the two had "gotten" together in America, Irina had wondered when they would make their relationship "official" and known to everyone.

"What are we? Hmm, I thought it was pretty obvious," Issei said, taking strands of her hair and began playing with it.

"Hmm? What was obvious?" Irina asked innocently.

Issei sighed and gently moved her head from his shoulder. He placed his hand on her shoulder and brought her in close.

"Eh, Issei? What are you?" Irina asked as her face turned red.

"I've been waiting to do this since the day began… no, longer than that," Issei said as his face got closer.

_I'm not ready!_ Irina thought frantically as Issei got closer and closer to her face. Eventually, she gave in and closed her eyes, puckering her lips for what seemed to be the best kiss she would ever receive in her entire life.

"Your scrunchy on your right ponytail was messed up and it's been bothering me. Here, um, let me fix it for you," Issei said as he tugged on her right scrunchy.

"Eh?" Irina's eyes opened and she saw Issei fixing her hair. A tick mark appeared on her forehead as she slammed her fist into the bottom of Issei's jaw, sending him flying back.

"MOU! ISSEI, YOU IDIOT!" Irina said. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she ran out of the roof.

"Ow," Issei said, rubbing his cheek.

"_You think I teased her too hard_?" Issei asked.

**[A bit.]** Ddraig said.

**|*yawn* Honestly, if you like her so much, what's holding you back?|** a feminine voice said inside his head.

"_What? Um, did you hear that?_" Issei asked.

**[Oh, right, Tiamat's awake. She woke up last night while you were having your nightmare.]** Ddraig said.

"_She did? Hey Tiamat, how's it going?_" Issei said.

**|Other than being trapped inside a teenage boy with relationship problems, I'm doing great. Ddraig and I have been… ahem… doing some catching up if you get my meaning.|** Tiamat said.

"I didn't need that image inside my head," Issei said as he stood.

**|Go after her.|** Tiamat said.

"_Huh?_" Issei asked.

**|Go after her. You seem to have been holding back for a while now and while I don't know the specifics of your relationship with the Angel, I do know that you have feelings for her. So go after her. Do that thing you young people do nowadays|** Tiamat said.

"You mean ask her on a date?" Issei asked.

**[You've already told her that you love her. What's holding you back from making your relationship public?]** Ddraig asked.

"The girls," Issei said. "I mean, you saw how they reacted. Compared to Rias, they're willing to fight with everything they have just to get back with me, especially Akeno and Koneko. I don't want Irina to be targeted if it ever comes down to that."

**|So what? If these girls are no longer with you then it should be fine. And besides, the Angel has three pairs of wings. She can defend herself not to mention the fact that she has a natural advantage over them. You have nothing to worry about. Do that courtship ritual thing with the Angel. Trust me on this.|** Tiamat said.

"Alright," Issei said. "But how should I go about doing this?"

* * *

Irina ran down the stairs, wiping the tears from her face. Stupid Issei. Why did he have to play with her feelings like that? As she ran, she bumped into someone and fell to the floor.

"Ow," the person across from her said. "Eh, Irina?"

Irina looked up and saw Asia sitting across from her, papers spilled everywhere.

"Oh my. Asia, I'm so sorry," Irina said. "Here, let me help you."

"Thanks," Asia said as the two began scooping up the papers.

"So why were you running?" Asia asked after a few seconds.

"... Do you think I overreacted?" Irina asked.

"I don't follow," Asia said as she grabbed a couple of sheets of paper.

"Issei, he told me he loves me back when we were in America and…," her sentence was interrupted when Asia grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait, Nii-san said what?" Asia asked.

"He said that he loves me?" Irina said.

"*SQUEE!* Oh my God! This is amazing… wait, so then why are you crying?" Asia asked.

"Issei… hasn't made our relationship public yet," Irina said. "I'm tired of having to hide our affection for each other."

"I see," Asia said as she grabbed the last piece.

"So, did I overreact by running out on him? Am I… being too impatient?" Irina asked.

"Hmm, you have to understand this. While Nii-san said that he loves you, you have to remember that he might be reluctant to jump into a fully committed relationship again after what happened… and again, it wasn't their fault. You two might be more than just friends but… lovers is something he might be afraid of for fear that you might be used against him. That or… he's afraid of the other girls making you a target. You saw how Koneko and Akeno reacted. While Xenovia and Ravel may have been tamer and Rias-oneesama seems to have accepted this, we never know what would happen if you two decided to go public. And you still have Rossweisse-sensei to compete with," Asia said.

"I see… so I'm laying it on too thick then?" Irina asked as they walked down the hall.

"Not thick per se but… if I were in your shoes, I would wait until he's comfortable again to have a relationship. In the meantime, try to make him yours," Asia said.

"Huh… thanks, Asia," Irina said.

"No problem… now I have a question to ask you," Asia said.

"Yeah?" Irina asked.

"How do I tell Eren that I want to take the next step in our relationship?" Asia asked.

"W- What!?" Irina said.

"Huh? I assumed that when you were all with Nii-san that you all… had sex with him already," Asia said, tilting her head in confusion.

"I'M A VIRGIN!" Irina said.

"Oh… um, sorry to ask then," Asia said.

"Uh, yeah," Irina said.

* * *

**Agares Territory, 4:45 PM**

* * *

Issei, Irina, and Zin, who insisted on coming with her master, arrived outside the gates of the Agares Manor. The three marveled at the sight and beauty of the area.

Unlike the Gremory Manor, the Agares Manor was much larger in terms of size and area. As the Number Two Pillar and holding the title of Archduke, their area was much larger than the other pillars except for the Bael. The Agares held a territory in Gehenna that was the size of the state of Alaska, holding large villages and towns across the entire territory. Unlike the Gremory or the Phenex, the Agares didn't seem to indulge in having large metropolitan areas in their territory. The simplicity of how everything was laid out brought out the beauty of the natural landscape of Gehenna. The rolling hills were, the violet lakes, and the purple skies were all on display, completely unobstructed by large towers.

The Agares House was also a sight to behold. It was smaller than the other Pillar Manors, being about the size of Kuoh High School, only much taller. The House stood at a height of seven stories, larger than even the Gremory House. A large wall surrounded the house standing at three stories tall with a large black iron gate at the front. Past the gates, Issei and Irina could see a simple fountain and several bushes with different flower species lining the walkway.

"Um, Mii-chan told us to wait here," Issei said.

Irina remained silent, stealing glances from Issei.

"So, um, Issei, about earlier, I'm…," Irina began. However, she was interrupted as the gate began to open. The movement of the iron bars caught their attention as they saw Mitsuki walking out of the gate.

"You're here!" Mitsuki said. "And you're not late. Hey Zin!"

Mitsuki walked over to Issei and began scratching Zin underneath her chin. Zin purred and leaned into Mitsuki's touch.

"So, who's looking after Lily-chan today?" Mitsuki asked as she beckoned for them to follow her.

"Um, Rossweisse said that she'd do it," Issei said.

"And how did that go before you guys left?" Mitsuki asked.

"About as well as you would expect. Lily's holed up in her room," Irina said.

"I guess she's not used to them yet," Mitsuki said.

"Risa-senpai said that she'd go and help Rossweisse since Lily is more used to her," Irina said.

"That's good," Mitsuki said. "When we get back, we should enroll Lily in Kuoh Elementary. It would do her good to spend time with kids her age rather than be stuck at home all day waiting for us."

"That sounds good. I'll ask Sona to get some papers ready," Issei said.

"Ah, we're here," Mitsuki said, pushing the doors open. She led them down the hall towards a large room. Inside sat a beautiful young woman about a year older than them, sitting on a sofa. She had green-tinted blonde hair that reached down to her mid-back and light tan skin which gave her a slightly exotic vibe. Her dark pink eyes were sharp and contained an ever-present analytical twinkle. These eyes were complimented by her glasses.

For her clothing, she wore an attire befitting that of a woman of her stature. She wore a long-sleeved blouse with a red brooch. The accessories that decorated her clothing made her look flashy and bore the Agares Seal on them. She wore a mini skirt with thigh-high boots.

Next to her was a young man with dark hair and light brown skin. He had sharp yellow eyes that had a distinct reptilian feature to them. He wore a black butler's uniform and unlike the woman sitting in the chair, the young man had an aura of calm and composure that made him seem relaxed. He shot them a small smile before tapping the woman on the shoulder.

"Milady Seekvaira, our guests have arrived," he said.

"Thank you, Alivian," Seekvaira said. She gestured to the chair in front of her. Mitsuki walked over and stood next to Seekvaira

"Please have a seat, Red Dragon Emperor and… companion. I'm sorry. I don't believe that we have each other's names," Seekvaira said, eyeing Irina.

"Oh, I'm Irina Shidou. I am Lord Michael's Ace and the Angel Representative in Kuoh," Irina said, bowing respectfully before sitting right next to Issei.

"Ah, I remember you from the Evil Dragon War. I'm terribly sorry for not recognizing you sooner. I am Seekvaira Agares, heiress to the Agares House. It is an honor to meet you," she said. "Please refer to me as Seek."

She yelped when Mitsuki brought her hand down on top of her head.

"Milady, these are guests. Nicknames are unbecoming of you," Mitsuki said.

"Mou, Miicchi! That really hurt," Seekvaira said, rubbing the top of her head.

"Eh," Issei and Irina's view of the regal heiress shattered as she pouted to Issei's twin sister.

"Ahem," Seekvaira coughed into her hand and recomposed herself. "I believe that we should discuss the nature of this meeting… shouldn't we?"

Issei blinked at her sudden tone shift and straightened himself. Zin climbed off Issei's shoulder and bounded over to Mitsuki, who picked her up and cradled her in her arms.

"Yes, you know why I'm here. Please allow me to have my twin sister on my team for the Azazel Cup," Issei said.

"I see. I was rather skeptical about this being your request at first but I can see that my skepticism has been laid to rest. Pray tell, why should I allow my most powerful piece to fight for an enemy team," Seekvaira said.

"What do you want in return?" Issei asked.

"In return?" Seekvaira replied. "I wasn't aware that we were bartering for your sister."

Issei and Irina gulped as Seekvaira calmly sipped her tea.

"While I do not entertain any notion of actually winning given who our prospective opponents are, I do plan on getting far considering your sister, the wielder of **Telos Karma**, is on my side. So, since you proposed a trade, find me a piece that could possibly substitute in for your sister and we have a deal," Seekvaira said.

"A piece that can sub in for Mii-chan?" Issei said. "That shouldn't be too hard."

"Quite. That is why I'm giving you two hours to do so," Seekvaira said.

"TWO HOURS!?" Issei said.

"You said that this would not be difficult. I believe two hours is ample time," Seekvaira said.

"_Shit! Guys, any ideas!"_ Issei asked.

**[I have an idea.]** Ddraig said.

"_Who?_" Issei asked.

**|Hear us out on this okay.|** Tiamat said.

"_I'm listening_," Issei answered.

**[Have Zin fight for Seekvaira for the time being]** Ddraig said.

"_Zin? But, I was going to summon her to fight in the games,_" Issei said.

**|It wouldn't have mattered anyway. She would be placed under heavy restrictions as a Dragon with power to rival us Dragon Kings and a candidate to replace Fafnir at the next Festival of Kings, Zin can wipe out the peerage of your average High-Class Devil so fighting with you will heavily restrict her ability to fight but…|** Tiamat said.

**[If we allow her to fight on Seekvaira's side in place of Mitsuki, she'll be able to let loose and get Seekvaira as far as she needs to go. When Seekvaira is defeated in the Games, you get Zin back]** Ddraig said.

Issei grimaced but nodded in agreement.

"Ahem," Issei said. "You won't have to look far for a new member for the Games."

"Oh?" Seekvaira said, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I propose that you allow my familiar, Zin, to fight in Mitsuki's place for the duration of your run in the games," Issei said.

"And why should I accept?" Seekvaira replied.

"Zinogre is an Ultimate Class Dragon with the power to rival the current Dragon Kings and has been seen as a candidate to replace the Current Dragon King of the North, the Gigantes Dragon Fafnir," Issei said.

"So she's that powerful? I guess see for myself. Alivian. Attack her," Seekvaira said.

"As you wish," Alivian said. Mitsuki sighed and placed Zin down. The reincarnated devil dashed towards the small dragon only to stop when a red light emanated from her. Zin transformed into her human form and slammed her fist into Alivian's face, sending him crashing into the wall.

"Mitsuki," Seekvaira said. "No Sacred Gear."

Mitsuki nodded as she formed an energy blade in her hand and appeared above Zin, ready to bring the blade down. Zin's tail moved at lightning speeds, deflecting Mitsuki's energy blade.

Mitsuki landed on the ground a few feet away from Zinogre.

"Enough. Stand down," Seekvaira said. "I've seen enough. Very well."

"Eh? Does this mean that?" Irina asked.

"Yes, we have a deal. Zinogre-dono. Please come here," Seekvaira said.

Issei nodded to Zin, who sighed and walked over to Seekvaira.

"I'm going to need her to lay down on the floor," Seekvaira said.

Zin nodded and laid down.

"Here we go," Seekvaira said, pulling out two knight pieces. "Your twin was worth two and from what I'm seeing… Zin might be worth just as much."

Seekvaira placed the knight pieces over Zin's chest and the pieces sank into her.

"Will the pieces be removed if she's defeated?" Issei asked.

"From what I heard, if the King is eliminated, the pieces are automatically ejected from the body," Seekvaira said as she heard a blip from her scroll. She pulled it out and smiled.

_Zinogre, the Thunder Wolf Dragon_

_GPS Ranking: EX- Ultimate Class Dragon_

Seekvaira whistled. "EX- Rank. You have one powerful familiar, Issei Hyoudou."

"So, can Mii-chan participate as a member of my team for the Azazel Cup?" Issei asked.

"Of course, a deal is a deal. Mitsuki, for the time being, you will be on Hyoudou-san's team for the Azazel Cup," Seekvaira said.

"As you wish Milady… and thank you for this opportunity," Mitsuki said, bowing.

"For the last time, call me Seek, Miicchi!" Seekvaira said.

"As you command, Milady," Mitsuki said, smirking.

"Oh, and Issei, as she is your familiar, you can summon her to participate in matches. However, should we face off against each other in the Games, I trust that she would be willing to fight against you?" Seekvaira said, accepting a cup from Mitsuki.

"Zin?" Issei said, glancing at her.

Zin looked at him with an emotionless gaze, her tail swishing in slight annoyance. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Of course, Issei-sama. This will give me a chance to test you myself on how powerful you are," Zin said.

"Eh? Okay," Issei said, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. He turned to Seekvaira and bowed in thanks.

"That'll be all, Seek-sama," Issei said.

"Mhm. Mitsuki, you're relieved of your duties for today. Go spend some time with your brother," Seekvaira said.

"I thank you for this time, Milady," Mitsuki said.

"What did I say?" Seekvaira said.

"I believe that she should get going, Milady," Alivian said.

"Ugh, fine. Just… have fun okay?" Seekvaira said.

"Of course, Seek. What do you take me for? Isn't this why you asked me to join?" Mitsuki said, grinning.

"I asked you to join because we both met at a Gundam Convention in Tokyo," Seekvaira said.

"You're mean," Mitsuki said.

"You love me and you know it," Seekvaira said. "Now go. I'll see you at the Games."

* * *

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki walked out of Agares Manor, their heads held high. This was most likely their toughest obstacle yet in getting members for their team in the Azazel Cup. Zin made herself comfortable on Issei's shoulder, nuzzling up to his cheek as she sat down.

"So, what now?" Mitsuki said.

"Now? We go home and see who else wants to join," Issei said.

"What about Ingvild?" Irina asked as they formed a magic circle.

"Yeah! We could make her a Bishop! Let's ask her when we get back," Issei said as they disappeared in a flash of red light.

* * *

Ingvild Leviathan was many things. She loved the color purple. She was a singer and artist. She loved the sea and all its creatures. She was an avid amateur herpetologist, who on more than a few occasions, went herping with Tohka and Mica back in America. But bored, Ingvild was not bored. She disliked being bored. The very word itself grates at her nerves and annoys her to no end. Thus, watching Rias train the four boys for the Azazel Cup was her way of coping with her boredom.

"I don't know why you bother with continuing to train them," Ingvild muttered.

"Because I need them," Rias said, walking over to her. The older girl sat down next to Ingvild and leaned against the wall.

"Oh, you heard that," Ingvild replied.

"I did. Mostly by chance. How are you fitting in? I know that you're being enrolled in the school soon," Rias said.

"It's fine. Japan's a nice place to live in. I can see why you moved here," Ingvild replied in perfect Japanese.

"I'm sensing a but here," Rias said.

"But… I'm a Midwestern Girl and my heart will always belong there," Ingvild said. "So one day, I plan to go back and live there."

"Hmm," Rias said.

"So why do you keep them? Plant boy over there seems to be the strongest of the four. Why not just turn him and be done with it?" Ingvild asked.

"I wish I could but I would need to ask permission from his sister, the current clan head of House Naamah," Rias said. "He's the heir of the household so turning him would be… detrimental to my family's reputation. Especially since they're an endangered family."

"Endangered? More like nearly extinct," Ingvild said. "So who among the remaining three are you planning to turn? The ice user, the fire user, or the demigod?"

"Demigod?" Rias asked.

"Old grey eyes over there," Ingvild said.

"You mean Hiruko?" Rias asked. "Huh, I didn't know that."

"Telltale signs. Blonde hair and gray eyes that look like a storm's brewing inside them. If I were a betting girl, I'd say he's one of Athena's," Ingvild said.

"A demigod son of Athena here in Japan…," Rias said, her gaze lingering on Hiruko.

"Anyway, I'll let you deliberate," Ingvild said as she got up. She stretched, getting the kinks out of her back and let out a satisfied sigh. Rias nodded and continued watching her peerage train as Ingvild entered the elevator and went back to the ground floor. Upon exiting, she walked into the family living room and saw Risa sitting on the couch in a white tank top and grey track pants. Ingvild learned to deal with the fact that one of Heaven's most formidable angels was sitting here being a lazy raccoon.

"You're finally done watching them?" Risa asked as she drank from her beer can.

"Won't you get drunk?" Ingvild asked.

"Nah, this cheap human stuff won't get me drunk," Risa said. "Besides, it's nice to relax and not have to deal with my Raphael-sama and Gabriel-sama's arguments all the time."

"We're back!"

The two turned to see Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki entering the house.

"Welcome back," Ingvild said as they sat down on the couch.

"So how'd it go?" Risa asked.

"Not too bad. All it took was getting Zin to agree to participate as one of Seekvaira's teammates for the duration of the games and we got Mitsuki in return," Issei said.

"I see," Ingvild said.

"Hey, Ingvild," Irina said. "We were wondering-!"

"Would you like to participate as one of our team members!" Issei said, appearing in front of her. Ingvild sank into the sofa at Issei's sudden appearance. She got a good look at his face and she had to say that Issei was rather easy on the eyes. Her cheeks slowly turned red as her breath hitched.

"Well?" Issei said.

"U- Um, sure!" Ingvild said.

"Great!" Issei said.

"Aniki, give her some space," Mitsuki said.

"Right," Issei backed off and sat back down next to Irina.

"Okay, that's four people in our peerage now," Ingvild said. "Who's next?"

"We don't know," Irina said. "We never thought of who would be on our team."

"Yeah," Issei said.

"How about this?" Mitsuki said. "Since you two have been racking your brains over who's going to be on our team for the Games, why don't you take a break and let me and Ingvild take over?"

"Huh?" Issei and Irina looked at her oddly.

"Asia told me of what happened at the school and what you told her Irina. You two need some time to yourselves," Mitsuki said.

"Eh? Wait what?" Ingvild said.

Mitsuki pinched Ingvild's leg, causing the girl's mouth to slam shut and silencing any protest that she had.

"Now go! Have fun!" Mitsuki said.

"Alright," Issei said.

"Okay," Irina said.

The two got up and walked out of the living room.

"OH AND TAKE LILY WITH YOU! SHE NEEDS TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!" Mitsuki said.

"OKAY!" Issei called back.

"Now, who should we pick?" Mitsuki asked Ingvild.

"How should I know?" she answered.

"That's why we're brainstorming!" Mitsuki said.

* * *

Issei and Irina walked together down the streets of Kuoh with Lily piggybacking on Issei. Her blue eyes darted quickly from each person that passed by them. Irina smiled at her and ruffled the girl's hair causing her to shake her head and pout at Irina.

Irina giggled at the sight.

"Aw, isn't that cute?"

"Isn't that the Hyoudou boy?"

"Is that girl theirs?"

Issei and Irina groaned in annoyance, though Irina's face was slowly turning red.

_People think Lily's my daughter!_ Irina thought.

After a few more seconds of whispers and agonizing torture for Irina, the two arrived at the public park where Issei took Lily off his back. He knelt in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Go have fun, Lily," Issei said. "We'll be right here."

"No," Lily said, shaking her head.

"Come on Lils," Irina said. "There are lots of kids out here that want to play with you."

"No, I want to go home. This place is scary," Lily said.

"Tell you what," Issei said. "I'll push you on the swing and if you don't like it, we'll go somewhere else."

Lily looked at him and nodded reluctantly. Irina grabbed her hand and the two led her over to the swing set where Irina gently placed Lily on the swing.

"Ready?" Issei said. Lily nodded and Issei gently pushed her, sending the girl up.

"Hey, Issei?" Irina said as Issei pushed Lily once more, a small smile appearing on the girl's face.

"Yeah?" Issei said.

"I want to talk about what happened at the school earlier," Irina said.

"Oh, that? It's no problem, Irina," Issei said.

"No, I want to talk about it. This is a problem, Issei. I hit you for God's sake," Irina said. "And… I'm being inconsiderate of how you feel about all this."

"No," Issei said.

"No?" Irina looked at him with slight annoyance. Why was he being so dismissive of her?

"It's not you who's being inconsiderate," Issei said. Her gaze shifted from annoyance to one of curiosity.

"What do you mean?" Irina said as Issei pushed Lily again, higher this time as the girl laughed in happiness, completely oblivious to the romantic tension happening just behind her.

"I'm the one who's… being inconsiderate. Irina. You've been there for me ever since we reunited with each other," Issei said. "Back when we were kids and I thought you were…"

"You thought I was a guy. I remember that," Irina said.

"Yeah, I thought we'd end up in a situation where we would be in a relationship with each other. To me, you were always my best friend so when you came back and later… confessed, I wanted to go back in time and scream at myself," Issei said.

Irina smiled a little.

"Where are you going with this?" she asked.

"I told you before that when I was with Rias and the other girls and this whole thing with Yatogami-sensei and whoever forced her happened and our relationship got put on hold that I was trying to put it all behind me and told you I was ready to be with you," Issei said. "But after seeing how the girls reacted, I hid our new relationship because of them and some people helped me realize that… I'm still being chained down by them despite us not being in a relationship anymore but no more."

Issei looked at Irina with a fire blazing in his eyes.

"Irina, I want to make this official in front of everyone. Will you be my girlfriend? I know I already asked you this back in America but… this time, we won't hide it," Issei said.

"Issei," Irina said. She smiled a watery smile as a few tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. "You know my answer. Yes. It'll always be yes."

Issei laughed a little and gave her a grin.

"I should've known that it would be," Issei said. Issei leaned over and kissed her softly. Irina's eyes were as wide as saucers when Issei pulled away.

"Eh?" Irina touched her lips, her cheeks turning a deep red.

"Sorry for taking so long to do that again," Issei said.

"It's alright… I was being a bit impatient anyway even though I said that I would wait for you no matter how long it took," Irina said.

"Well, you won't have to wait any longer," Issei said.

"Nii!" the two turned and saw Lily coming back down. The girl dug her heels into the bark and stopped herself. She turned to Issei and Irina with her big green eyes.

"I'm hungry!" Lily said.

"Well Lil, I know an ice cream place that me and Issei used to go to when we were little. Do you want to go?" Irina asked.

"Yeah!" Lily said, beaming at her.

"You got her to smile," Issei said.

"Well, children can be baited with sweets," Irina said as Lily hopped off the swing. "Hey! Wait!"

Irina sped walked after Lily with Issei right on their heels.

"Come on guys! Slow down!" Issei said as he began to jog after them. As he did, he spotted a familiar mop of white hair in the distance. His eyes widened as he slowed down to a stop. He blinked and the white-haired figure was no longer there. He rubbed his eyes. Was that…?

"Issei!"

He looked up at Irina, who had caught up to Lily. She was several feet ahead of them, looking at him with a confused expression.

"Are we heading to Hatch Potch or what?" Irina called.

"Oh… yeah!" Issei said, jogging over to them. Irina noticed his distressed face when he got closer.

"Are you alright?" Irina asked. Lily looked at Issei and tilted her head in confusion.

"Huh? Yeah, I thought I saw someone I knew," Issei said.

Irina raised an eyebrow before looking down at Lily, who was becoming more and more impatient.

"Come on, let's go get Lily some ice cream and head home. Hopefully, Mitsuki and Ingvild will have figured a couple of prospects for our team," Irina said.

"Yeah! You know… I could go for some mint-chip," Issei said as he grasped her hand. Irina smiled at the contact before smirking at Issei.

"You still love that disgusting flavor I see," Irina said.

"You take that back," Issei said, glaring at her playfully. "Mint-Chip is the ice cream of the Gods!"

"In your dreams Dragon Boy, it's Neapolitan," Irina said.

"Neapolitan?"

"Yeah, Neapolitan!"

As the two argued about their favorite ice cream flavor, a pair of golden eyes watched them from afar. She smiled as she saw Issei's joyous expression and her gaze trailed over to Irina. Her feelings for the girl were conflicted. For one, she wanted to see if the girl was worthy of Issei but on the other, she was happy that Issei found someone for him. She decided to just let him be and disappeared in a funnel of black smoke.

* * *

"Huh, this is harder than we thought it'd be," Mitsuki said, scratching her head. In front of her were the pictures of several people that she had proposed to be prospects. Of course, Ingvild didn't know these people. She had never met them before in her entire life so Mitsuki was left with the task of explaining who they were and why she chose them.

Through each explanation, Ingvild simply nodded and offered her input such as now.

"So, why my cousin?" Ingvild said as she held up a picture of Vali Lucifer.

"Ummmm," Mitsuki tried to find words to justify her choice when Ingvild blew her completely out of the water.

"From what I know of him, he's most likely forming his own team so having him on our side is a moot point," Ingvild said. "This is going into the no pile."

Mitsuki nodded, feeling a bit disappointed at not having Vali on their team, and moved onto the next picture.

"Okay, I know who that one is," Ingvild said, snapping her out of her fantasy. "That's Kunou, the Princess of Kyoto."

"Yes, now, since she's a Kyuubi, she could be a very powerful ally to us and given the right training, we can get her up to par by the date of the games. Of course, that means we'll just have to put a bit more time into her since she's behind all the other prospects that I showed you," Mitsuki said.

"Like Vali Lucifer or Valerie Tepes," Ingvild said.

"Exactly!" Mitsuki said.

"I can see the merit of having a Kyuubi on our team but the time we'll put into making her as powerful as everyone else will be time lost on making ourselves stronger for the games. Let's put her in the Maybe Pile," Ingvild said.

"Tough. You have high standards," Mitsuki said.

"Well, we kind of have to if we plan on winning," Ingvild said.

"What about you? Do you have any prospects?" Mitsuki asked.

"I do as a matter of fact," Ingvild said.

"Who?"

"Why don't we ask Tohka and Mica?" Ingvild said.

"That's a great idea! Mica is a God who's slated to replace the Trickster God Mica in the Native American Pantheon's Lakota Group and Tohka is the daughter of two Elder Gods!" Mitsuki said. "But… will they even accept?"

"We won't know if we don't ask. And besides, they will. The two have been looking for something exciting to do," Ingvild said.

"You know, I've always wondered… how did you get mixed into an organization like Blacklight anyway?" Mitsuki asked.

"Well, you know how I said I was born into it? I was more or less. My parents were members of the Organization," Ingvild said.

"I thought you were raised by your aunt?" Mitsuki said.

"I was. I should tell you that… I've been in a coma for the past hundred years," Ingvild said.

"Oh… why?"

"I got sick with a disease that forced me into one. My parents tried to cure me but there wasn't one yet so they froze my body and sent me to the American Chapter. I was twelve when I got trapped and woke up four years ago. I spent a bit of time in rehab and tried to find them but… Auntie Dana said that they died during World War II… not by the war but by someone else," Ingvild said, clenching her fists. "I joined Blacklight to not only protect others but… to find out who killed my parents."

"Oh," Mitsuki said. A tense silence blanketed the room.

After a few minutes, Mitsuki decided to break the silence and try to get them back onto their task.

"So," Mitsuki said, grabbing a pen and a notepad. "That's you, me, Aniki, Irina, Tohka, and Mica… any other suggestions?"

"What about Risa?" Ingvild asked.

"I'm one-hundred percent sure she's fighting on Heaven's side for the Games," Mitsuki said.

"Isn't she Issei's sworn guardian angel?" Ingvild asked.

"I mean, we could ask her but… one of us will have to wake her up," Mitsuki said. The two turned and glanced at the Tanuki Angel, who had passed out on the couch watching sci-fi movies in her lazy clothes.

"Um, Risa-san?" Mitsuki said.

No response.

"RISA!" Mitsuki said, much louder this time.

"Huh! What!" Risa jumped to her feet, a katana in hand. Her gaze traveled to Mitsuki and Ingvild, both of who were looking at her with amused faces. Risa sighed.

"What?" she asked, dispelling her katana.

"Wanna be on our team for the Azazel Cup?" Mitsuki asked.

"Sure," Risa said, shrugging.

"Wait… I thought you would be participating on Heaven's side," Ingvild asked.

"No, I wasn't going to join Dulio's team. Not like the half-pint can make me join anyway," Risa said. "Plus… what kind of guardian angel would I be if I didn't join? Sign me up and… let me sleep."

The two nodded and watched with deadpan gazes as Risa laid back down on the couch and quickly fell asleep.

"So, we don't have to worry about her I guess," Mitsuki said, writing Risa's name down on her notepad.

"Who else?" Ingvild said.

"I guess that's it for now. We'll get more as we go along," Mitsuki said.

"I never thought it'd be this hard to find team members for the team," Ingvild said.

"You said it… I need something to eat," Mitsuki said.

"WOOO!"

The two turned to see Rias and her peerage walking out of the elevator. Tatsuya, Yuu, and Hiruko were cheering as they fiddled with their new wings. Mitsuki scowled a little before her gaze darted to Rias.

"So…," Mitsuki said.

"Yeah, umm, they all cost the perfect amount of pawn pieces," Rias said.

"What about for the Games?" Ingvild asked.

"Well, telling you all would be revealing my team's composition and that can be used against me. Now, um, we're going to head out and celebrate our new pawns," Rias said.

"Yeah… um, have fun!" Mitsuki said as they walked out the door.

"Hey, I don't know much about this whole situation but… are they dating them?" Ingvild asked.

"No, it doesn't seem to be. At least not anymore. I think she just feels responsible for dragging them into this situation so she's turning them to protect them," Mitsuki said.

"Huh," Ingvild looked down at the remaining photos.

The door opened again, catching both of their attention. Issei, Irina, and Lily walked inside all holding ice cream in their hands.

"Oh, you're back!" Mitsuki said.

"Yeah, so I saw that Rias turned them but nevermind that," Issei said as he sat down on the couch, licking his mint-chip. "Did you two come up with any prospects for us?"

"Um yeah," Ingvild said. She snatched the notepad from Mitsuki and began to read from it. "So, in our maybes, we have Kunou, Vasco Strada, and someone named Bova Tannin? Mitsuki apparently knows who he is and he's Tannin's third son or something. Kunou is in the maybe pile due to the amount of time it'll take to train her to get up to par with everyone else and Vasco Strada because we don't know if he'll accept our offer. Same with Bova Tannin."

"Old Man Tannin has kids? Didn't know that," Issei said.

"How about the people you approved of?" Irina asked as she wiped some ice cream off Lily's face.

"Oh for that, we have Tohka, Mica, and Risa so far but no one else," Mitsuki said.

"Tohka and Mica huh?" Issei said. "I can see Tohka being a Rook or a Bishop and Mica being a Bishop or a Knight. Do you want me to call them?"

"No, leave that to me," Ingvild said.

"Risa-senpai is joining us too?" Irina asked.

"Yup," Mitsuki said, glancing at the sleeping angel.

"Okay, so we have you, me, Mitsuki, Ingvild, Tohka, Mica, and Risa-senpai. Anyone else?" Irina asked.

"What about Yatogami-sensei?" Issei asked.

The room went silent at his suggestion.

"What? I mean, you guys saw how strong she is. And with that transformation of hers, we'll have a Satan Class Devil on our team and Heaven's Greatest Assassin," Issei said.

"It's not that we don't want her… it's that… Naamah-sama is a House Head. I don't think she has the time to be participating in the games," Mitsuki said.

"Hmm," Issei looked down. "Can we at least put her down in maybe?"

"Sure. But… we'll have to ask her to see if we can put her in yes or no," Irina said.

"Maybe we can ask Old Man Taki if he knows anyone who can participate on our team," Issei said.

"The Old Japanese Head?" Mitsuki asked.

"That sounds like a great idea, I'm sure he knows a lot of people," Ingvild said.

"Then, it's settled! Tomorrow, I'll ask for a bridge to the Blacklight Base and ask him if he knows anyone that we can ask to join our little band of misfits!" Issei said. They all nodded and continued to discuss team placements and prospects long into the night.

* * *

_It was another one of those nights that Issei found himself in this situation again. He would have thought that the removal of his pieces would have ended the dreams but no… the dreams merely changed. The Dragon was gone but in its place was a burning world. The sky was covered in dark clouds that crackled with red lightning. _

_Issei walked cautiously, reminding himself that in these dreams, he was powerless to do anything. No one was here to help him. Irina. Ddraig. Tiamat. None of them were here. He frowned as he walked past it. A corpse belonging to Rossweisse. Her beautiful face had its left half incinerated. Her stomach was ripped open, her intestines spilling out into the street. Her left leg was torn off, presumably by the Dragon in Issei's dream._

_He ignored it. He had learned to ignore them, reminding himself that these were just dreams. He walked for a few more minutes until he arrived at his destination. Where his dreams always ended. Hyoudou Manor… or what was left of it. He looked at a mountain of corpses that piled up. He identified several beings in them. Sirzechs. Ajuka. Indra. Odin. Sun Wukong. Shiva. Hades. _

"_Let's get this over with," Issei said as he looked up, waiting for the Dragon to descend from the clouds to destroy him so he could wake up. He saw the clouds part and he closed his eyes only to feel nothing. _

_Issei slowly opened them and saw that he was somewhere else. A different place. A place he wasn't familiar with. Black metal bars surrounded him as an endless black void stretched off into infinity. Red lightning crackled around him through the bars and he saw chains stretching out into the blackness of the nothingness that surrounded where he was. It hit him. He was in a cage. _

"_I've been waiting for you," a voice said. "You've been taking your sweet time getting down here."_

_Issei turned and his breath was caught in his throat. In front of him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life. No words could describe how perfect she looked. She had creamy pale skin which was matched by her alabaster white hair. Her eyes were exotic with her right eye being as blue as the sky and her left eye was as red as a ruby. She wore a dark blue jacket with a white button-up shirt and a long blue skirt. She smiled at him warmly._

"_Who are you?" Issei asked._

"_Hmm? How rude? I thought that you would introduce yourself to me first," she said, chastising him like a mother would her child._

"_Umm, okay… I'm Issei Hyoudou. Now, who are you?" Issei asked._

"_Me? Well, I'm… the 'energy' that runs inside you I suppose," she said, making air quotes when she said the word energy._

"_Energy?" Issei asked._

"_You know. That new power source you have inside your body currently rewriting and hybridizing your draconic biology with… well, that'll be a surprise," she said. "As for a name…"_

_Issei's eyes widened when several pairs of black feathered wings erupted from her back. These wings… they were as black as the void that surrounded the cage. Blacker than even Azazel's._

"_You may call me… Mastema," she said, grinning ear to ear._

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Rhongomyniad: Haha, I see that we both see the same thing concerning the females in DxD. While they do have their moments of badassery (especially in the later chapters of the Light Novel), they're technically just walking pieces of fanservice and as an ecchi light novel/anime, the female characters are serving that purpose well.**

**AnimeFan0216: Um, I've heard of Valrave so it's not a reference. I'm glad you like the Power of Sight. I did use the Sharingan as the inspiration for them.**

**Scrumblenut: Yes, Demons do have relations to the current Devil Heirs and Clan Heads. Every pure-blooded Devil is descended from the Demons. As for who Issei saw... more about her will be revealed in the far future but her name is Apollyon.**

**leader. dbz: I've already pictured it and you'll have to wait until the end of the First Season to find out.**

* * *

**So, that was an interesting end of the chapter. I hope you're all dealing with this social distancing thing and quarantine well. Hopefully, my story keeps you guys entertained for the time being. So Issei and Irina have decided to go public with their relationship. All that's left are Rossweisse, Kuroka, Ingvild, and Artemis. Uh, a quick announcement that you'll all be disappointed with. Kiba, Gasper, and Rossweisse won't be part of Eden Squad. The more I kept on with this rewrite, the more I realized that them being members won't happen anymore and it is with great regret that I say this. But do not fret! Kiba and Gasper will still be extremely close to Issei so no worries about there being no more camaraderie between them. Now, review, follow, favorite and remember to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours~!**

**Author's Note: Herping is when people go out looking for reptiles in the wild. It's usually done by herpetologists.**


	18. Rikka Kuroyuki

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release**.

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

"Evacuate! Evacu- ARGHK!"

Everyone stopped to look behind them. The devil that called out to them fell to his knees, gurgling. His throat had been slashed open and his veins were bulging. Blood began to pour from his eyes and mouth as he fell down twitching. Everyone took a step back as a lone shadow appeared in front of them.

The glow of the moon cast an ethereal light on her as she sheathed her sword. Her hair was as black and lustrous as obsidian itself. Her crimson eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. She wore a black sleeveless tank top with a white collar, a pleated red skirt, and dark socks reaching up to her mid-thigh and black boots. On her arms were red gauntlets and black gloves. She looked at the group without a trace of remorse in her eyes as she took a step towards them.

They all gulped and dropped into fighting stances.

"Y- You won't be able to take on all of us!" a wolf youkai said as she shakily held her weapon in front of her.

"Really? Then why are you shaking like a leaf?" the woman asked as she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"D- Do you know who we are!? We are part of the Khaos Brigade!" a fallen angel said as he formed several light spears.

"Khaos Brigade? Hehe… that organization's been long since gone. Killed off after Rizevim was slaughtered like a dog by his grandson," the woman said as she drew her sword. In a flash, she sheathed it and sighed.

The group in front of her exploded in a shower of blood and gore as body parts flew everywhere. The woman looked down at the butchered pile of corpses in front of her before turning around and walked away. She wiped some blood off her cheek as she walked. She narrowed her eyes when a wind swept over her. The woman turned around and saw a massive red and black dragon with violet eyes hovering over her. It roared fiercely before unleashing a torrent of fire upon her.

The entire area was bathed in red light as the dragon continued its deluge of scarlet flames on the woman. After a few seconds, the flames died, revealing a charred landscape and burned foliage. The dragon huffed before feeling a deep pain in the back of its neck. It turned and saw the woman above him. She swung her sword with speeds that were too fast for the dragon to see.

The woman landed on the charred ground below the dragon. She sheathed her sword and whispered two words.

"Prey slaughtered."

The dragon landed on the ground behind her, missing its head. It walked around for a few seconds before falling to the ground, dead.

She walked over to the dragon and hopped up on its corpse and sat down. She pulled out a small sphere from her pocket and channeled her power into it. The sphere whirred before expanding into a baseball-sized set of concentric rings. A small light glowed in the middle before projecting a screen before her. She tapped on the screen for a few seconds and a voice came from it.

"This is Black Snow calling for a gate at these coordinates. I have eliminated the last of the Khaos Brigade cells in Japan," she said.

"_Copy Operative Black Snow. Please stand by for the gate_," the operator said.

Black Snow glanced over to her right as a flash of green light appeared, creating a vortex. She hopped off the dragon's corpse and walked into the portal as it closed behind her, leaving nothing but a pile of overcooked corpses and the body of a dead dragon.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, December 7, 2019, 8:45 AM, Current Time: 4 Minutes and 32 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Issei groaned as a loud gonging noise reverberated throughout his entire room. He blearily opened his eyes and turned to the source of the noise. Mastema was grinning at him as she slammed mallet into the gong.

**(Good morning Issei-chan!)** Mastema said, floating over to him.

"Mastema?" Issei said. "Why the hell are you ringing a gong? Where the hell did you get a gong?"

**(I made it of course. See?) **Mastema said as she waved her hand. The gong vanished from his room. **(Now… get up! It's morning!)**

"You're not my mom," Issei said, turning around and going back to sleep.

**(Boy, I have watched you since you were a baby! Remember who drove away all your nightmares as a kid?)** Mastema said.

"My parents?" Issei answered.

**(No! Me! I'm the reason you never had nightmares in the first place so it's safe to say that you're as much my child as you are your parents!)** Mastema said.

"Yeah… sure, whatever helps you sleep at night," Issei said.

**|Issei… who are you talking to?|** Tiamat asked from inside the gear. Issei blinked. Over the course of the week, since he had "met" Mastema (she insisted that she's been here the whole time), Issei discovered that neither Ddraig nor Tiamat could sense her much less hear or see her. The woman in front of him as capable of projecting her image out into the physical world from… his soul? He guessed it was his soul.

"No one… just shaking off my sleep," Issei said. Tiamat said nothing as Issei walked out of his room. Mastema smiled and followed after him.

**(Sooo, what about your promise to little ol' Rossweisse?)** Mastema said, laying back as she followed Issei.

Issei did her best to ignore her as he poured himself some cereal.

**(You know it's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you)** Mastema said as she conjured a cookie and began to eat it.

"No one can hear you or see you except for me! If I respond, people will think I'm crazy!" Issei hissed.

**(Then just… convey your thoughts to me like you do Welsh Boy and Salt Girl)** Mastema said, yawning.

"_Fine… is this good?_" Issei said as he ate his cereal.

**(Better. They can't hear any thoughts you send to me)** Mastema said. **(So… how are you going to deal with drunk Valkyrie?)**

"_First off, she's not drunk. Second… I don't know. I'd have to ask Irina if I can start a harem and I don't know if she'll accept. I know what I promised Rossweisse but…_," Issei said.

**(Hmmm? But?)** Mastema pressed.

"_Can we talk about this later?_" Issei asked.

**(Sure. After all, she's coming down right now.) **Mastema said.

Issei whirled around and saw Rossweisse heading down the stairs in her sleepwear which consisted of a semitransparent nightie. Issei nearly choked on his cereal when he saw her. He turned around to hide his nose as he tried to force the blood back down.

**(Hue hue~ Rossweisse is a bit daring isn't she?)** Mastema said.

"_Shut up!_" Issei said.

"Good morning… Issei? I thought you'd still be asleep since it's the weekend," Rossweisse said as she grabbed a cup from the cupboard. She walked over to the coffee maker and began to pour herself some coffee.

Issei looked at her with a slightly red face.

"Um… yeah, uh, I decided to wake up early since I have somewhere to go this afternoon," Issei said.

"Oh, where?" Rossweisse said, leaning on the counter.

"I'm meeting with someone… I can't tell where though since it's Azazel Cup stuff," Issei said dismissively.

"So… you don't trust me to keep a secret around Rias?" Rossweisse asked, slightly hurt that Issei would keep something from her because of competition.

Mastema facepalmed.

_**(Ugh… this is worse than… Oh dear, he's like me when I tried flirting with Rod…)**_Mastema thought as memories of her times in the past flew to the forefront of her mind.

"N- No! It's not that it's… well, I really wish I could tell you but," Issei said.

"No, I get it," Rossweisse said as she placed her coffee mug down and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Dammnit! Rossweisse, wait!" Issei said as he ran after her. He managed to catch up to her and grab a hold of her hand.

"What?" Rossweisse said, not even bothering to look at him.

"Rossweisse… I'm sorry but the truth is… if I tell you, there might be some consequences that might put you in danger," Issei said, wondering what Blacklight might do if he revealed the existence of the organization to someone else.

"...," Rossweisse remained silent and saw the serious look on Issei's face. She sighed and calmed herself down.

"But," Issei continued.

Rossweisse quirked an eyebrow at this.

"When I get back, I can ask Irina if… if I can take you on a date somewhere," Issei said.

Rossweisse gently removed Issei's hand from her arm and sent him a small smile.

"I'll be waiting for that," Rossweisse said. She leaned in and planted a kiss on Issei's cheek before turning to head up the stairs. She froze when she saw the emotionless eyes of Irina Shidou looking down at them.

"Um… Irina-san?" Rossweisse said as she felt an oppressive aura slam down on her.

Mastema looked on with amusement. She created a bucket of popcorn out of nothing and began to eat, watching in anticipation. Issei glanced at her discreetly in annoyance before walking over to Irina.

"Um… Rin? Are you alright?" Issei asked.

"Even when you have me…," Irina whispered. Issei went pale when her aura grew more intense.

"Irina?" Issei said. Irina's eyes brightened and her aura disappeared. She sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"I guess… I can't take the harem king out of you no matter how hard I try. And besides, I don't think I'll be able to handle Issei's libido by myself," Irina said. She looked to Rossweisse and smiled.

"You can go with Issei on a date… _after_ he gets back from recruiting a member. Issei, Risa-senpai and I are heading to the Vatican to see if Strada-sama will accept our offer. Mii-chan is heading down to Kuoh Underground to see if she can recruit Bova Tannin and you and Ingvild are well… you know where you're heading," Irina said.

"I know," Issei said.

"Just making sure," Irina said, smiling.

**(She's right. You do have a record of forgetting)** Mastema said, eating the last of her popcorn.

"_You're still here? Don't you have some hybridization stuff to deal with?_" Issei asked.

**(Nope, you're almost done. Just a few more days and you'll be able to use your new power to the fullest extent!)** Mastema said.

"_Do the others like Lily have an annoying voice like I do?"_ Issei asked.

**(I wouldn't know)** Mastema said.

* * *

"So, Issei, are you ready to go?" Ingvild asked. She was wearing a violet jacket and a white skirt with lavender Vans.

"Yeah, lemme contact the base," Issei said as he activated his AS.

"_Yes, this is Blacklight Japan Main Headquarters. Who is this?_" the operator said.

"Um, this is," Issei began. Ingvild took the sphere from him.

"Hello, this is transferee operative Lavender Serpent requesting a gate to HQ over," Ingvild said.

"Wow, wait… we get codenames?" Issei said.

"Yeah," Ingvild said. "Usually they're assigned after you graduate from an affiliate academy but since you were referred by a member of the Divine Ten, I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

"Sucks," Issei said.

Ingvild giggled at his childishness as a portal opened behind them.

"After you milady," Issei said.

"My, what a gentleman," Ingvild said as she walked into the portal.

The two walked out into the hangar bay where they made their way into the main base. Issei pressed a button and a few minutes later, a driver in a cart arrived and the two got on.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"We'd like to see Adashino-sama if you would," Issei said.

"Adashino-sama?" the driver asked.

"Um, yeah, we have a meeting with him," Issei said.

"Hmm, well, all right kid but don't call for my cart again after he turns you away," the driver said.

"Yeah," Issei said as the cart began to move.

"So, I was thinking," Ingvild said. "You don't know much about what I can bring to the table right?"

"Um, yeah, I only caught a small bit when we went hunting for Wendigos," Issei said, remembering how Ingvild's eyes changed color. "You can use water magic right?"

"Among other things. As a Descendant of the Original Demon Leviathan, I have access to my family's unique ability called Sea Serpent Dragon of the End which allows me to control and manipulate water as well as turn into a massive sea serpent if need be," Ingvild said.

**(Ho? How interesting. Still not as good as yours)** Mastema said.

**[Her ability seems rather powerful Issei. She'll make a good ally]** Ddraig said.

**|Perhaps even a mate? But you already have those two so what's one more?|** Tiamat added.

**(See? Ddraig and Tiamat agree with me)** Mastema said.

"_They can't hear you or see you_," Issei responded.

"I also have a Sacred Gear," Ingvild said.

"Was it implanted?" Issei asked.

"No… as you know I'm a Cambion or a Half-Devil," Ingvild said. "Due to my human blood, I can inherit Sacred Gears naturally rather than artificially. My Sacred Gear is known as Nereid Kyrie. It… It allows me to control Dragons."

Ddraig and Tiamat's eyes went wide upon hearing this. The God of the Bible had a weapon as powerful as this hidden away in his arsenal. This girl had the potential to become extremely powerful one day.

**[Issei… this girl]** Ddraig said.

"_Yeah_," Issei said.

"What else can Nereid Kyrie do?" Issei asked.

"Well, it boosts my ability to control water. Well, to be more specific, the sea," Ingvild said.

"I'm glad you decided to be on our team. With your power, you might be able to defeat a team with Dragons," Issei said.

"Really? I guess the only drawback to my Sacred Gear is that it depends on how strong I am. I can't really control dragons that are stronger than I am," Ingvild said.

"We're here," the driver said.

"Thanks," Issei said.

"No problem. Stay vigilant kid. We got word that Black Snow-sama is here today with Adashino-sama," the driver said.

"Black Snow? Sorry, I'm new here," Issei said.

"A new recruit huh? Well, Black Snow is one of the top operatives here. Rumor has it that she's Adashino-sama's granddaughter and apprentice. She's supposed to inherit his position among the Divine Ten when he retires," the driver said.

"Really?" Ingvild asked. "I've only met one other candidate for Divine Ten in my time here."

"Yeah, well, Black Snow-sama is that strong if Adashino-sama chose her," he said. "Well, anyway, good luck."

He waved them goodbye once more before driving off.

Issei and Ingvild looked at each other before Issei took out his AS and pressed it against the scanner.

_Please state your busine-!_

The robotic voice was interrupted when the door opened to reveal Taki, who had a confused look on his face.

"Oh, hey Sekiryuutei. Come in," Taki said as he stepped aside. Issei and Ingvild stepped into Taki's office.

Taki's office was similar to Cornelius's back in America. The office was large, about the size of the dining room in the Gremory Mansion. A large table with ten chairs surrounding it sat at the center of the room. Behind the table was an old Japanese painting of a man that was clearly of European descent. The man was dressed in a white kimono with two swords strapped to his side. The types of swords they were were unidentifiable due to the age of the painting but Issei could make out some of the designs of the blades. The painting hung in between two Japanese Flags.

Almost immediately, Issei noticed the other person in the room. Their eyes met and Issei felt a chill running down his spine. The girl in front of him was nothing short of mesmerizing if not intimidating at the same time. Her crimson eyes made Issei feel naked as if she was reading his very soul. She possessed slight traces of divine energy inside her body that felt familiar to Issei but couldn't place his finger on where or who he felt it from.

"Oji-sama," the girl said in a near monotone voice.

"Ah, Rikka-chan," Taki said. "These two are the new recruits! One of them transferred here from the American Chapter while the other one is new. Picked him right off the streets!"

"Oi! You make me sound like I was begging," Issei said.

"Hmm," Rikka said as she walked forward.

"Issei-kun. Ingvild-kun. This is my apprentice, Rikka Kuroyuki," Taki said.

"Apprentice?" Issei asked.

"You're… Black Snow?" Ingvild asked.

"Ugh… what story about me did you hear this time?" Rikka asked in an exasperated manner. Her eyes were twitching in annoyance.

"Just that you were supposed to succeed Adashino-sama when he retires," Ingvild said.

"That one? Oh, good, I thought it was the other one…," Rikka trailed off.

"Actually," Taki said. "This is perfect timing!"

He turned to Issei and Ingvild and grinned. "I know that you two and your friends are new and you haven't been assigned to a team or squad. Rikka here doesn't have a team either."

"Oji-san, I don't need the greenhorns to know that," Rikka said.

"But Rikka-chan! You'll never make any friends if you keep talking like that!" Taki said.

Rikka huffed and looked away with an uncharacteristic pout on her face.

"It's not my fault people don't… want to hang out with me," she said quietly.

"Um, Rikka-san? Taki-san?" Issei said.

The two remembered that they had guests in the room and turned around to see Issei and Ingvild looking at them intently.

"Yes, Issei-kun?" Taki asked.

"Um, so you know how I'm participating in the Azazel Cup right?" Issei said.

Taki nodded.

"I was wondering if you knew anyone that I could ask to be on my team. I already have Ingvild, my sister, and my girlfriend on the team but we're not going to make it with just the four of us so… got anyone willing to fight against gods?" Issei asked.

Taki looked at Issei, his mind deep in thought. His eyebrows furrowed as he began to run through a list of people that he could recommend to Issei when his gaze drifted down to his adoptive granddaughter. She caught his gaze and her eyes widened.

"How about Rikka?" Taki offered.

"Wait, wait just a minute!" Rikka protested.

"Rikka-san?" Issei said. "I don't mean to offend her or her skill or anything but… I don't know what she's like in combat."

Rikka shot Issei a look that caused him to shut his mouth. "It's fine… I understand but I don't want to participate on a team if I don't know if my teammates can keep up with me or not."

"That's understandable," Ingvild said. "We don't know your abilities, we don't know yours. It's perfectly normal for both sides to have some doubts about this entire thing."

"Thank you for understanding that I can't join a team of people whose skills I don't know," Rikka said.

Issei visibly deflated at the notion of being rejected.

"Wait," Taki said, seeing Issei's depressed mood. "How about you find out for yourselves?"

"Huh?" the three of them turned to Taki in confusion.

"A spar between you and Issei, Rikka-chan," Taki proposed.

"A spar? Are you out of your mind!? This greenhorn's going to get the floor wiped with his face!" Rikka said.

"I wouldn't estimate him if I were you, Rikka-chan but… let's go see, shall we? Follow me," Taki said.

The three looked at each other before shrugging and following after the old man.

* * *

**Vatican City, 11:55 AM**

* * *

Irina walked down the streets, wearing her exorcist uniform and cloak. She glanced at the tourists that passed by them. Irina's eye twitched at the whispers she heard from some of them.

"_What are they wearing in this heat?_" a tourist whispered.

"_That one without the cloak… she's kinda hot_," the other one whispered.

"Risa-senpai? Why does Strada-sama want to meet us out in the open?" Irina asked.

"He said he's on break so he told us to meet up at the Starbucks outside of Vatican City," Risa said.

"Why there of all places? Why not inside Saint Peter's Basilica? Or even in the Apostolic Library?" Irina asked.

"Strada-san outside of his job has many quirks that… you wish you never knew he had," Risa said. "I'm not a Christian and you know that since I'm a Tanuki Youkai but… the man is… well, he's obsessed with coffee to the point where if he were an angel and coffee was a sin, he'd fall for it."

"Really?" Irina asked.

"Yes, trust me. Dulio learned that the hard way," Risa said.

Irina nodded and followed Risa as they entered the coffee shop. The man they were looking for stuck out like a sore thumb or a burning bush in the middle of the desert. He was tall, standing at six feet, maybe even taller. He was old, possibly in his eighties, judging from the good amount of wrinkles on his face. However, his physique spoke otherwise. He was extremely muscular with his vestments straining to hold his muscles inside. If Irina had to guess, the man's arms and legs were about as thick as Issei was and she often wondered if he had his vestments custom made.

"Ah! Lady Risa! Irina!" the man said in a grandfatherly tone.

"Hello Vasco," Risa said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "Getting yourself a caramel macchiato like always?"

"No, this time, I wanted to go simple so I got a Mocha Frappuccino with no whip cream," Vasco said.

"Hello Vasco-oji," Irina said.

"Irina, how has it been?" Vasco asked.

"I'm fine. I've been working on catching up with my studies in between the missions Michael-sama sent me and my training with Raphael-sama," Irina said.

"Good, good. Young children must always understand the value of education," Vasco said.

"Oji, I'm almost eighteen years old," Irina said.

"Hahaha!" Vasco laughed as he ruffled Irina's hair. Irina puffed her cheeks, causing Risa to giggle.

"So, why have you called this old man over here," Vasco asked.

"Actually, we were wondering if you were participating on Heaven's side for the Azazel Cup," Risa asked.

"No, I'm not. Dulio's got himself a full team with Heaven's brightest exorcists," Vasco said.

"He didn't ask you?" Irina asked.

"Oh, he did. However, I refused because I knew that our Lord, may He rest in peace, had something else in store for me," Vasco said.

"And this thing that He had in store for you was us?" Risa asked.

"Yes. So I knew what you were going to ask and I accept," Vasco said.

"Really? You'll fight on our side?" Irina asked.

"Of course Little Rin. Don't count this old man out yet," Vasco said.

"T- Thank you so much!" Irina said, grabbing Vasco's hands and shaking them.

"Of course. Now… oh, I have to finish the day off and then I'll ask for a leave so I can go with you back to Japan to meet my new teammates. I assume that the Red Dragon Emperor is going to be there?" Vasco asked.

Irina nodded, beaming at their luck. The strongest human in their faction just accepted their offer. She leaned back and wondered how the others were doing.

* * *

**Underworld, Same Time**

* * *

"Oh no… send me to Tannin alone why don't you," Mitsuki said as she flew through the mountainous regions of Gehenna. Her target was the former Dragon King and High-Class Devil, Tannin. She spotted a massive forest filled with trees and grinned.

"Bingo," Mitsuki said. "Last I heard, Rias said that this Bova Tannin guy was asking around for Issei and returned here after she said she didn't know. Hmm, I wonder if he's here."

Mitsuki landed on the ground and folded her wings. Looking around, she walked into the forest.

"Tannin-oji!" Mitsuki called out, cupping her hands to enhance her voice.

A wind rushed over her and Mitsuki looked up to see a fifteen-meter tall western dragon. He had dark purple draconic scales with a beige belly and inner legs and tail. The dragon had a triangular head with curved horns, keen red eyes with violet sclera, and a mouth full of serrated teeth. His wings were massive, being the same size as a small plane in wingspan and he wore pauldrons and a loincloth decorated with a fauld.

Mitsuki smiled as the dragon landed in front of her and grinned. The dragon slammed its hand on the ground only to grin when he felt pressure pushing back. Mitsuki was grinning as she held back the dragon's punch. She grunted and threw the arm to the side, devastating a small portion of the forest.

The dragon groaned when he saw the destruction.

"That's going to take me months to grow back," he said.

"Should have thought of that before testing me, Tannin," Mitsuki said.

"Mitsuki, sister of the Red Dragon Emperor. What brings you to my home?" Tannin said.

"I'm here to look for your son," Mitsuki said.

Tannin sighed.

"What did he do this time?" Tannin asked.

"Eh? Nothing… I was just looking for him because we want to recruit him!" Mitsuki said.

"Oh? Did that brat finally get to High Class and get his own peerage?" Tannin asked.

Mitsuki went silent and looked down.

"Aniki… he isn't a Devil anymore. Some things happened and I'm afraid that's all I can say. This is Aniki's story to tell," Mitsuki said.

"I see… well, if you're not recruiting my youngest son for a peerage then this must be for that Azazel Cup thing that I keep hearing about from my king," Tannin said.

"Yes, I was seeing if your son, Bova Tannin, would like to participate on our team for the Azazel Cup," Mitsuki said.

"BOVA!" Tannin roared.

A dragon similar in appearance to Tannin but much shorter in size appeared in a flash of red light. Upon seeing Tannin, his eyes narrowed and looked away.

"So that's him?" Mitsuki asked. She walked up to him and smiled. "Hi, there! Are you Bova Tannin?"

"What's it to you?" he replied, glaring down at her.

"Is there a problem?" Mitsuki asked.

"What do you want?" he said.

"Okay… um, I'm Mitsuki Hyoudou-!"

"Hyoudou! Like Issei Hyoudou? The Red Dragon Emperor?" Bova said, startling her.

"Um, yeah," Mitsuki said.

"Is he here?" he asked. "Did he come? Oh, I had a question for him that I wanted him to answer!"

"Um, no, I'm more here on his behalf. I'm his twin by the way," Mitsuki said.

"Oh, so you're the Empress of Destiny! Why are you here? What does Issei want?" Bova asked excitedly.

"Um, he wants to know if you want to join our team for the Azazel Cup," Mitsuki said.

"YES!" Bova screamed.

Tannin and Mitsuki took a small step back as Bova shot into the air and began cheering loudly. He let out spews of fire and flew through them, laughing and cheering.

"Is he okay?" Mitsuki asked as he watched him do aerial stunts in midair.

Tannin sighed. "He's, uh, a big fan of your brother."

"I can tell," Mitsuki said.

"So Issei really wants him to participate in the Azazel Cup?" Tannin asked, looking down at her.

"He was on a list of prospects that we drafted up," Mitsuki said.

"The other people on the list. Have they accepted?" Tannin asked.

"He was on maybe with two other people. Kunou, the Princess of Kyoto, and Vasco Strada," Mitsuki said.

"You plan to have a full team then," Tannin said.

"More or less."

The two watched on with amusement as Bova flew off to a mountain, cheering.

"So, does he have a human form or something smaller?" Mitsuki asked.

"He can turn into a smaller dragon about the size of your sister's familiar," Tannin said.

"That's convenient… How long will he be?" Mitsuki asked.

"Give him a couple of minutes to calm down. Then you can take him. I appreciate this," Tannin said.

Mitsuki gave him a curious glance as the former Dragon King began to walk away.

"Why?" Mitsuki asked.

"You're giving him purpose. I was afraid that Bova might lose his way in life and become lazy and unfulfilled or worse… an Evil Dragon. As a parent, it makes me feel happy to know that he has something to give him purpose, someone that needs him. I just need you to promise me something," Tannin said.

"What would that be?" Mitsuki asked.

"When you see Issei, my son will most likely ask to become his subordinate. Can you convince your brother to take him on as a disciple?" Tannin asked.

"I… can't promise that but I'll try. He seems like a good kid. A little rough around the edges but good," Mitsuki said.

"I know. He's like his mother in more ways than one," Tannin said.

* * *

Issei looked on in awe as they entered one of the many sparring arenas located within the base. The room was massive. It was as big as the entirety of Kuoh Highschool. The ceiling, which Issei could only guess, was most likely five stories high to allow for aerial combat among members that were capable of flight. The arena floor was pure white and was as hard as concrete. Massive stadium lights lined the ceiling. Next to the door was a small terminal for their AS which Issei guessed was for the terrain and weather features that he had heard so much about ever since his initiation.

"Alright. Since you two want to see the true extent of the other's power, what better way than to do this? You two will be able to use everything in your arsenal. No restrictions. Oh, well, other than maiming and fatal blows. The winner will be decided via knockout or if the other fighter can no longer continue, finishing blow withheld. Rikka, you know that means. Hand over Obsidian Rite," Taki said.

Rikka nodded and unstrapped her sword from her waist. She handed it to Taki.

"Wait, why can't she fight using her sword?" Issei asked.

"My sword contains a highly toxic venom of my own concoction known as Gu," Rikka said. "It can kill you within seconds of being cut and all it takes is a scratch."

"Hmm, quite. Rikka and I are the only ones with any level of resistance to it since we've been administering small amounts of it since she created it," Taki said.

Issei nodded.

"Let me get her a regular sword and then we'll get started," Taki said.

After a few minutes, Taki returned with a regular katana and handed it to Rikka.

She inspected it and swung it a few times before nodding. "It's not Obsidian Rite but it'll get the job done," Rikka said, sheathing the blade.

"Is that sword MagiTech too?" Issei asked.

"It's Generalized MagiTech yes," Rikka said.

"Alright. Ingvild-kun and I will leave the room and will be up there on the deck, watching. When I give the signal, the match will begin," Taki said.

Issei and Rikka nodded and Taki and Ingvild left the room. While waiting for the two to arrive at the deck, Rikka decided to make some small talk. This was an opportunity for her after all. On the off chance that he impresses her, they would be on the same team and possibly, even the same squad if he accepts her offer. She smiled inwardly at the thought.

"Hey, um, Issei… how old are you?" Rikka asked.

**(Wow, this girl's awkward)** Mastema said as she floated right next to Rikka.

**|Wow, that girl's awkward|** Tiamat said.

"_Yeah, she is_," Issei responded to both of them.

"Um, I'm seventeen, turning eighteen next year. What about you?" Issei asked.

"I just turned eighteen last month," she said.

"Really. Happy belated birthday then!" Issei said.

Rikka smiled.

_Okay, you're doing good so far… don't mess this up_, she thought.

"So, how's this weather?" Rikka asked, cringing inwardly at her question.

"Um, it's fine I guess," Issei said.

"I'm sorry if I sound awkward… I don't have many friends," Rikka said, deflating.

"Why not? From what I hear around the base, you have a lot of people who like you and look up to you," Issei said.

"Those are my fans. I don't have any friends that just see me for me. Everyone at the base sees me as Taki's apprentice or Future Divine Ten. I just want someone to hang out with, spend time with, talk about girly things with, watch slice of life and romance anime with you know," Rikka said. "Instead, all I get are 'Rikka-sama! Would you like to try this?' or 'Rikka-sama, please scold me!'"

"Wow, that must be," Issei said, remembering how other devils and supernatural beings treated him because of his celebrity status.

"Yeah…," she said.

"I get how you feel," Issei said.

"You do?"

"I'm regarded as a hero because of my efforts during the Evil Dragon War as well as a celebrity due to my television series in the Underworld called Oppai Dragon," Issei said.

"Oppai Dragon?" Rikka asked, her face adopting a slight look of disgust.

"Woah! Woah! That… that was from back then," Issei said, flushing in embarrassment. "But I still get royalties and fans from it."

"I see… so you can't show your face without being swarmed by fans, people trying to get close to you for your status and all that dumb shit," Rikka said.

"Yeah," Issei said.

"I like you, Issei. Even if this doesn't end the way either of us wants, I hope we can be friends," Rikka said.

"Me too," Issei said, smiling.

**(Awww! Is wittle Issei-chan making a new fwiend?)** Mastema said, floating in front of Issei.

"Alright!" Taki's voice boomed from the deck.

The two turned to look at him.

"Alright! Now, stand apart!" Taki said.

Issei and Rikka nodded and walked about fifteen feet before stopping and turning around.

**[|Dragon Booster!|]** Ddraig and Tiamat announced. **[|Boosted Gear|]** appeared on Issei's arm. Its overall design was the same as before with the sole exception of the small blue gem that rested above the emerald gem on his gauntlet.

"I've never fought a Dragon Emperor before. This will be… a learning experience," Rikka said, dropping into a stance. Her hand flew to the handle of her blade.

"Ready?" Taki said.

Issei and Rikka narrowed their eyes, their gaze never leaving each other.

"Begin!"

No one moved. Issei and Rikka remained perfectly still, locked in a staring contest. Issei twitched as his eyes widened. He had only blinked and Rikka was now in front of him. He raised his gauntlet to defend as Rikka swung her sword, sending him skidding back.

"_I barely saw her move_," Issei thought.

**[Be careful… this girl. Her speed isn't the only asset in her repertoire]** Ddraig said.

Issei nodded and launched himself towards her.

**[|Blade|]**

Ascalon appeared in Issei's hands and he swung it. The blade was easily deflected by Rikka. Issei went in for a thrust towards her torso which she easily parried.

Rikka slashed at Issei, forcing him to defend. She twisted her blade with the grace of a master, shifting her weight and slammed her katana into Ascalon.

The two were now in a deadlock with Issei trying to push against her.

**[|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] **

Issei managed to push her back a few centimeters before Rikka grinned. She shifted her feet and turned Issei's strength against him. She directed Ascalon out of the way with her blade, sending Issei to her side. She twirled around and kicked Issei, forcing him to drop Ascalon.

Issei flew and skidded along the arena floor before coming to a stop.

"You're good," Issei said.

"Thank you! Now, stop holding back," Rikka said, dropping back into a stance.

"Only if you will," Issei said.

She grinned and launched herself towards him.

Anticipating her attack, Issei dodged to the right and threw his fist at her. Rikka twisted her body out of the way in time and brought the katana down on Issei.

Issei raised **[|Boosted Gear|]** and blocked the blade. He pushed back, staggering her and buried his fist in her solar plexus, sending her flying and crashing into a wall.

* * *

"What was that sword style?" Ingvild asked as she and Taki watched the fight from the deck.

"My own personal style that I taught her. It was taught to me by my master, the previous head. It's called Oborozuki Ryuu. It's a sword style that uses one's ability to see and analyze the situation. With Issei's every move, she's adapting her sword techniques to counter and bypass any of Issei's attempts of attack and defense," Taki said.

"That's some style," Ingvild said.

"That's not even the entirety of it," Taki said, chuckling. Ingvild glanced at the old man before returning her attention to the fight.

* * *

"Hah!" Issei said as he threw another punch. Rikka dodged his attack and slashed Issei a few times, sending him stumbling back. A few cuts appeared on his arms. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.

"I guess I have no choice then," Issei said. A red aura surrounded him, creating a gust of wind that pushed Rikka back as she ran towards him.

**[|Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!|]**

Issei became clad in the red armor of the **[|Boosted Gear's|]** balance breaker. He dashed towards her, catching her off guard. He landed a devastating upper cut, sending her into the air.

Rikka gritted her teeth as she felt her jaw nearly break from the punch.

She looked down and saw Issei heading towards her.

"**Kage Bunshin!**" Rikka said. Her entire body flickered as five Rikkas appeared around Issei.

**(Oh? She can use Onmyodo?)** Mastema said as she watched the fight.

Issei frantically began to defend himself as five Rikkas attacked him on all sides.

"_Um. Tiamat! If you have anything, now might be the time to tell me!_" Issei said.

**|Hmm, you'll need more training to master this but… my basic power is to cause Calamities. Just focus on what you want to happen like a burst of wind or something|** Tiamat said.

Issei nodded and kicked a clone of Rikka, causing it to shatter like glass. He focused on the image of a storm and its repulsive winds and the blue gem on the **[|Boosted Gear|]** began to glow.

A burst of wind exploded from Issei's armor sending the clones back.

Issei and the remaining Rikkas landed on the floor.

"Tch! You can make more of yourself huh?" Issei asked.

"I can," one of the Rikkas said. All of them pulled out two pieces of paper.

"Though, I have more tricks. **Iron Wall Charm**. **Lion's Adamantine Fist**," Rikka said. The papers she was holding glowed blue before transforming into a set of kanji that encompassed her body before disappearing.

Issei gulped before raising his arms.

The Rikkas disappeared, causing Issei to throw up his guard. Issei slammed his fist down to his right, catching one of the Rikkas causing her to explode into glass fragments. Issei cried out in pain as he was sent flying when another one of the Rikka's kicked him in the back.

**[|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] **

**[|Dragon Shot!|]** Issei fired a massive red beam of energy, catching the other two Rikkas and destroying them. He landed and readied himself.

Rikka and her remaining clone appeared next to Issei and attacked him, forcing him to block.

Issei used his boosted strength to push them both back and spin kicked, catching both Rikkas and sending them flying. One of them dispersed, causing Issei to grin. He dashed towards the real Rikka and was about to slam her fist into her gut when her eyes snapped open. She slashed Issei across his chest, leaving a deep cut in his armor. She kicked Issei into the air.

Issei's eyes widened when he saw Rikka appear above him and landed a devastating ax kick. Issei crashed into the ground.

He looked up and saw Rikka diving towards him.

**[|Boost!|]**

**[|Boost!|]**

**[|Boost!|]**

**[|Boost!|]**

**[|Boost!|]**

**[|FLAME BLAZE|]** A massive ball of flames exploded from the jewel on Issei's chest plate and hurtled towards Rikka. She narrowed her eyes and stabbed her blade into the fireball and used her momentum to slice through the fireball.

Issei's eyes widened as she cut apart the fireball and crashed into him, creating a massive cloud of dust.

Rikka's eyes narrowed when she saw Issei blocking her with a second Ascalon.

"So you have two of them?" Rikka said. She grinned and brought her knee into Issei's stomach, cracking his armor. Issei was sent sliding back as Rikka dashed forward and began to relentlessly attack him.

Issei was barely able to deflect the attacks, some of them making it through.

**(You know? You have powers too.)** Mastema said as she floated next to Issei.

"_Can't this wait?_" Issei hissed.

**(Nope! I wanna see what you can do with your powers you see.)** Mastema's eyes glowed in excitement.

"_How_?" Issei asked.

**(Well… just imagine your opponent flying away from you)** Mastema said.

Throughout the attacks, Issei tried to concentrate on the image of Rikka being knocked away from him.

Rikka's eyes widened when a force slammed into her and sent her skidding back. She dug the blade into the ground to slow herself down.

"What?" Rikka said.

"Like it? It's a new trick I picked up," Issei said.

"Hmph. I have to admit. This is the most fun I've ever had. No one's ever pushed me this far other than Oji-san," Rikka said.

"Let's finish this," Rikka said. Her eyes glowed red as a massive aura of power manifested around her.

Issei dropped into a stance.

* * *

"Hmm, this match is over. I've seen enough and I'm sure… that Rikka is satisfied as well," Taki said.

"Huh? I thought that?" Ingvild said.

"If Issei gets hit by her next attack, he'll be incapacitated for a few days and I'm sure you don't want that," Taki said as his entire body disappeared.

* * *

Rikka disappeared from Issei's field of vision, causing him to go on guard. Grasping Ascalon II tightly, Issei scanned the field for any trace of her. He turned when he heard something from his right side only to see nothing.

"This is the end."

Issei gritted his teeth when he heard her voice.

**[|Crimson Moon: Full Drive!|]**

Issei's armor shifted colors to black and all the gems on the armor turned red. Six pairs of feathered draconic energy wings appeared on his back.

"**Moonlit Flash**," Rikka said as she appeared in front of Issei. In speeds faster than Issei could barely perceive, Rikka swung her blade.

Their eyes both widened when Taki appeared in between them and slapped Rikka's sword out of the way.

"That's enough," Taki said.

The two jumped apart. Issei dispersed his armor and Rikka sheathed the blade.

"Rikka, are you satisfied?" Taki asked.

Rikka remained silent, her gaze never leaving Issei. She smiled.

"Yes, I am," Rikka said. Issei and Taki's eyes widened and a wide grin formed on Issei's face.

"Does that mean?" Issei asked.

"Yeah, I'll join your team," Rikka said. She walked over and jabbed her fist into his stomach, causing Issei to groan.

"Ow… if this is how you treat your new friends then…," Issei said and trailed off when he saw her holding her hand out.

She held out her hand, smiling. Issei smiled back and grasped her hand firmly and shook it.

"Welcome to the team, Senpai," Issei said.

"Glad to be here and nice to meet you, Kouhai-chan," Rikka said.

* * *

A green vortex appeared in the middle of a small alleyway, scaring away every stray animal that was there. Issei, Ingvild, and Rikka walked out of the vortex. Issei was carrying several large bags while Rikka and Ingvild carried a few duffle bags and a backpack.

"I can't believe I got kicked out," Rikka said.

"I can't believe it either. I thought you'd be using the Gate to get here whenever we would train or we would come to you," Issei said.

"Worry not, Kouhai-chan. What's done is done. Though it would be rather interesting to live with the Red Dragon Emperor and the Switch Princess," Rikka said as she walked out of the alleyway.

"So," Rikka asked. "Is that your house?"

"Yup. I had no say in its renovation," Issei said.

"Hmm, let's go. I want to… lay down and sleep," Rikka said.

The three walked down the street until arriving at the gate to Hyoudou Manor. Issei placed some of Rikka's bags down and just as he was about to ring the buzzer, a voice called out behind him.

"Issei."

He turned around and saw Rossweisse standing behind them.

"Need some help?" she asked as she walked forward. She rang the buzzer and the four waited there for a few minutes.

Rikka looked down at Ingvild, who stood there awkwardly.

"Is it just me or do I sense some sexual tension between them?" Rikka whispered.

"No, I can feel it too," Ingvild said.

"I can hear you," Issei said.

The gates opened and the four walked inside where they saw Irina waiting for them at the steps.

"You're back," she said. "Did you?"

"Yes, we did! Let's go inside," Issei said.

"Issei, I hope you remember," Rossweisse said.

Issei said nothing and placed the bag down. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Rossweiss's lips causing her eyes to go wide. Sparks ran through her body as her heart began to beat faster than ever before. Happiness was all she felt at the moment. Her face erupted into a massive blush as Issei pulled away.

"I hope that's okay for now. I promise that I'll take you out," Issei said.

"Y- yeah," Rossweisse said, smiling.

* * *

Issei stood before a group of people that they had gathered before them in the basement. Calling Tohka and Mica was an easy task and the two had arrived here via Gate the moment Ingvild had called. Currently, the group was chatting amongst themselves.

Issei coughed into his hand to get their attention.

"Okay! I know that most of you don't know each other well but so we might as well introduce ourselves!" Issei said.

"Of course Issei-sama!" Bova said.

Irina giggled as Issei sweatdropped at Bova's attitude.

"Okay, I'm, uh, Issei Hyoudou. You know me as the Red Dragon Emperor and I thank you for coming to be on my team for the Azazel Cup," Issei said.

"I'm Irina Shidou. I'm an Ace in Michael-sama's Brave Saints Deck. I have three pairs of wings and I look forward to working with you all," she said.

"I'm Mitsuki Hyoudou, the current wielder of Telos Karma. I'm looking forward to being on the same team and nice to meet all of you," Mitsuki said, bowing.

"Ooh! Me next!" Tohka said, standing up. "I'm Tohka Thyella. I'm from America. I'm the daughter of two Gods and it's nice to meet all of you."

"I'm Mica," Mica said. "I'm also from America. Like Tohka, I'm the son of two Gods and the younger brother of one. I look forward to winning this thing with the rest of you."

"I shall go next," Vasco said. "I am Vasco Strada. Priest of the Vatican. I may be old but I can still lend you all some help. May the Lord guide us to our victory in the Games."

"I guess it's my turn," Ingvild said. "I'm Ingvild Leviathan. I was in a coma for the better part of the twentieth and some of the twenty-first centuries. Out of all of us, I'm probably the least experienced but I still want to help! Please take care of me."

"I'm Risa," Risa said, going next. "I'm an Angel that's part of Raphael's Brave Saints. I have five pairs of wings and am the Guardian Angel of Issei Hyoudou. I look forward to bashing some heads with you guys at the Azazel Cup."

"I'm Bova Tannin! I am the strongest Dragon in the Underworld and I will be the next Dragon King and replace my father!" Bova said.

**[Reminds me of you]** Ddraig said.

**|I wasn't that bad… was I?|** Tiamat said.

"I'm Rikka Kuroyuki. I am a swordswoman. I don't know what else to say other than I look forward to working with everyone and winning the games," Rikka said.

Issei smiled after everyone introduced themselves.

"Thanks for coming guys. You don't know how much it means to me that you all accepted to be on my team. I know some of you have been given offers by your pantheon or whoever you know that's participating and you could have fought for them instead of fighting alongside me but you chose to accept and that makes me happy. Another thing is the Wish at the end that they give to the winner. Some of you might want that wish and frankly, I could care less about it. I'm happy with what I have now but I will do my best and lend you the strength you need to win if you're willing to work with me. But if you don't and want to leave, I'll understand," Issei said.

Everyone looked at each other and whispered before turning back to Issei. Vasco stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Young man, I believe that I speak for everyone when I say that no one wants to leave. Issei Hyoudou. If anyone deserves that wish, it's you. You laid down your life for the entire world against Rizevim and Trihexa and it's because of you that I'm still able to see my friends and family. I would be honored to fight alongside you," Vasco said.

Everyone chorused in agreement, causing Issei's eyes to go wide.

"Guys…," Issei said. He looked down and wiped away a few tears that threatened to escape.

"Now…," Issei said, looking up with a determined grin. "Let's do this!"

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Rhongomyniad: Actually, I forgot that Leviathan was female. I just made Leviathan male to balance out the first seven Demons Lucifer created. Four males, three females. The Original Asmodeus is from what I can gather, male, but in Til Midnight, the Original Asmodeus is female. By the time, I realized it... Leviathan was a guy. However, it is an easy fix. If you want, I can just go back and alter the gender to male and pretend it he was never a guy since he's only made... two appearances? That or I can just explain how he begat the entire Leviathan clan. **

**On another note, Apollyon has no relation to the Abaddon Clan since their appearances don't match. I was a nice attempt at figuring out her identity though.**

**AnimeFan0216: Mastema isn't a demon per say... If I say more I'll spoil but... maybe?**

**Scrumblenut: That's a great idea. After this section, I'll have a small section of all the known abilities from the Devil Clans and their progenitors. I'll post one on the fanon wiki!**

**Skellzero: Haha, Mastema's too annoying even for Issei. And the fact that Tiamat is worried for his mental health because he's talking to "no one", makes Issei annoyed even more.**

* * *

**This isn't a Blacklight File. More like an info dump for abilities. I'm not going to list all 72 Clans but the Demons and the Clans associated with them from canon and Til Midnight.**

**Lucifer and Lilith: Shevirat Ha-Kelim**

**Beelzebub: King of the Flies and ?**

**Leviathan: Sea Serpent Dragon of the End and ?**

**Asmodeus: ?**

**Lucifuge: Cryogenesis**

**Belphegor: Crack**

**Phenex: Pyrokinesis and Regeneration (Only Demon to pass down this trait)**

**Astaroth: Tetralogy**

**Gremory: Power of Sight**

**Bael: Power of Destruction**

**Naamah: Luxuria**

**Abaddon: Power of Hole**

**Dantalion: ?**

**Belial: Worthlessness**

**Sitri: Hydrokinesis**

**Agares: Chronokinesis**

**Vapula: Lion Taming**

**Furcas: Horse Taming**

**Balam: Enhanced Super Strength and Magical Resistance**

**Bune: Dragonification and Dragon Taming**

* * *

**So, like I said to Rhongomyniad. Since Leviathan has made... only two appearances, so if you want me to alter his gender to his canon gender or let him remain as male and then create a backstory, let me know. So Issei has formed his team for the Azazel Cup.**

**Issei's Team (Name Pending; Will most likely be canon name):  
**

**Issei Hyoudou**

**Irina Shidou**

**Mitsuki Hyoudou**

**Tohka Thyella**

**Mica Johnson**

**Rikka Kuroyuki**

**Risa**

**Vasco Strada**

**Bova Tannin**

**Yes, I decided to change switch out Roygun for an OC that I created.**

**Let me know if you liked the chapter and remember, leave a review, follow, favorite and remember to have a great day/night or not! The choice is yours~! And stay inside or this quarantine will go on longer than we'd like it to.**


	19. The God of Thunder

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release**.

**Edit: Saw a typo. When Rikka said his, she meant her.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Areas, Gehenna, February 15, 2020, 10:00 AM; Current Time: 4 Minutes and 27 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"Vali, why are we here so early, nya~?" Kuroka asked, stretching her arms. Her yellow eyes darted around the crowd, bored out of her mind. Their match was even supposed to start until later that day. Bikou, Le Fay, Arthur, and Fenrir agreed with her sentiment, expressing their discontent and desire to go back to sleep. Gogmagog just stood behind them silently, looking over at the crowd impassively.

Vali sighed and turned around, running a hand through his silvery-white hair. His hazel eyes rested on Kuroka, who shuffled uncomfortably underneath his gaze.

"I told you. We're here to scout out the crowd and see if we can find our first match," Vali said. "Maybe we might even run into Hyoudou here while we're at it. And _Kuroka_, don't run off right now. The last thing I need is to put up posters for a stray cat."

"MOU! I'm not going to run!" Kuroka said, her tails standing up.

"You were," Vali said.

"Was not!"

"You were."

"Was not!"

The rest of Vali Team looked on with exasperated looks as their leader and Kuroka had their little back and forth, feeling extremely embarrassed as the rest of the crowd looked at them with strange and pitying looks in their eyes.

"I can't believe time flew by that fast," Issei said as he walked down the streets of Agreas. Lily sat on his shoulders, looking out at the crowds. The girl's hair had grown slightly longer over the past two months and she was starting to open up more. Her smiles were what brought light into the daily lives of the newly formed teams and Vasco absolutely adored her.

Behind them, Team Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth, as they had decided to name it, was walking and conversing amongst themselves. Issei smiled. Everyone was getting along really well, though some hiccups had occurred during their team training, everyone came out on top at the end. Issei looked over to Rikka and Bova. The two were the most antagonistic of the two as their personalities clashed often. Bova was in his human form which appeared as a brunette teenage boy about Issei's age. He had heterochromia with one red eye and one green eye and wore a silver jacket with black pants, a yellow shirt, and brown boots.

He remembered having to get Vasco's help to break them apart during a team exercise.

* * *

"_Watch it!" Rikka said as Bova bumped into her. The two had run into each other during a mock Rating Game in which the entire team was split into different sides. Today's captains were Vasco Strada and Risa, pitting two of Heaven's most brilliant combatants against each other. Needless to say, Issei now contemplated having MagiTech Environmental Generators installed inside the house in order to prevent more paperwork from stacking up on Sirzechs' desk for house repairs._

"_You watch it! You were the one getting in my way human!" Bova said, roaring at her._

_Rikka didn't look fazed by his attempts at intimidation. Instead, she merely laughed and smirked. _

"_Nice attempt at trying to scare me. Unfortunately, you're about as threatening to me as a child is to a T-rex," Rikka fired back. "On top of that, you're scaly ass seems to be the weakest link we have on this team. I mean, look at Ingvild. Even though she says she's weak, she can hold her own against an eighty-three-year-old man unlike you!"_

"_Okay guys," Mica said, walking over. "We just need to stay calm and eep!"_

_Mica backed away when he saw Rikka giving him the harshest stare known to all life. She turned back to Bova who was shaking. He roared and lunged at her, talons splayed and poised to strike. _

_Rikka easily dodged his attack, slapping his wrist and sending him sideways. She reinforced her legs with magic and landed a devastating kick on Bova, sending him flying across the room._

"_You may have your father's strength but you don't possess his battle intuition!" Rikka said, getting down into a stance._

"_HAH!" Bova launched himself at her. He inhaled and unleashed a massive stream of fire. _

_Rikka formed a blue energy sphere in her palm and unleashed it as a massive beam of blue light._

_Issei and Vasco appeared in the paths of the attacks. Vasco, using his sword, dispersed the fireball with a single swing._

_Issei held out his hand and called on his power, sending a repulsive wave of telekinetic energy to disperse the energy beam. The energy beam shattered into several blue shards of glass-like fragments._

_He crossed his arms._

"_Okay, I think it's clear that something about you two needs to be done," Issei said._

"_It's her fault! She keeps getting in the way!" Bova complained._

"_Kouhai-chan. Please see reason. This ignoramus is a hotshot with no sense for battle and all he does is throw around his strength," Rikka said._

"_You bitch! You're a igno… ingora… whatever you just said!" Bova yelled._

"_It's ignoramus you nincompoop," Rikka said._

"_Issei," Irina said, landing next to him._

"_Seven Minutes in Heaven?" Issei asked._

"_Seven Minutes in Heaven," Irina said._

"_Oh no," Mitsuki said._

"_Wait… what's Seven Minutes In Heaven?" Tohka asked._

"_Isn't that the truth or dare thing where you have to stay in a closet and make out with someone for seven minutes?" Mica asked._

"_No, it was a thing our parents and Irina's parents did whenever Irina and I got into a fight or when Aniki and I fought or when Irina and Aniki fought. They locked us in a room with the other person for a few hours until we worked out whatever it was we were fighting. Irina and I were in a room alone the longest. Seven hours. That's where it got its name from," Mitsuki said._

_The three turned back and saw Rikka and Bova being dragged away by Issei, Risa, Irina, and Vasco, presumably to be locked in a blast-proof room together._

* * *

"Nii," Lily said, tugging lightly on Issei's hair.

"Hmm?" Issei looked up at her. Lily was starting to get a good grasp of the Japanese Language, being able to speak and read nearly entirely in the language, though Issei and Irina spoke English around her to make sure she never forgets. Not that she would. For all Issei knew, the blood that ran inside both made her omnilingual like other Supernatural Beings.

"Ice cream," Lily said.

"You guys go on ahead," Issei said.

They nodded and waved goodbye as Issei and Lily walked down the streets of Agreas to a small ice cream parlor that Lily had seen while sitting atop Issei's shoulders.

"What flavor do you want to get?" Issei asked.

"Chocolate," Lily said giddily. Issei smiled. When they arrived at the store, it was surprisingly empty. On a day like this, Issei expected more customers than the current ghost town he was looking at. He saw a Devil standing at the counter looking dejected as her eyes looked down at the register. Issei felt bad for her. He gently took Lily off her shoulders and placed her on the floor.

"Let's get some ice cream," Issei said, smiling. She nodded and the two walked up to the cash register.

"Um, excuse me," Issei said.

The devil looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of him.

"O- Opp- Oppa," she stuttered out.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. Um, listen, can I get a Mintchip and two scoops of Chocolate?" Issei asked, looking down at the available flavors.

"O- Of course right away!" she said, fumbling for a scooper.

"Lily, do you want sprinkles on yours?" Issei asked.

Lily nodded in response.

"Hey, um, can you put sprinkles on the chocolate?" Issei asked.

"Yes, sir!" she responded.

As they waited, Issei heard the bell on the door chime and glanced around to see who it was. He smiled at the familiar white hair and black jacket.

"Vali! What's up-!"

"ISSEI!"

Issei felt a dark missile crash into him, sending them both to the floor. Lily yelped and ran towards Vali, hiding behind his leg. Vali and the others looked on with deadpan looks as Kuroka snuggled herself into Issei's chest, the aforementioned person groaning on the floor in pain.

Lily tried to put on a brave face as she peeked out from behind Vali's leg.

"L- Let him go!" she said, raising her hand shakily.

Vali looked down at the girl in amusement.

"No, you're doing it wrong. You have to attack Kuroka first then tell her to let him go," Vali said.

"R- Really?" Lily asked.

Vali nodded as Bikou snickered and the Pendragon Siblings shook their heads. Lily aimed her hand at Kuroka and fired a gust of chilling wind, startling the Nekoushou and making her jump to the ceiling.

Kuroka looked down and saw the little red-haired girl next to Vali.

"Thanks for the save," Issei said, getting up.

"Here's your ice cream," the devil ice cream shop owner said.

"Thanks," Issei said, pulling out a large amount of cash. Well, it wasn't large per se but it was more than the average cost of an ice cream cone let alone two. The devil waitress gawked at the amount of money Issei had handed her and was about to give it back when Issei smiled.

"Please keep it. It looks like everyone is more focused on the fight than to have nice old ice cream," Issei said.

The devil beamed at him and nodded.

"Issei, nya!" Kuroka hopped down from the ceiling and wrapped her slender arms around him.

"Kuroka," Issei said.

"Ne, ne, Issei-kun! Did you know? That I am now a-!"

"Kuroka," Vali said, interrupting her mid-sentence. "Let Issei go. He's probably going to be late to his match."

"Mou, Vali! I wanted to tell him, nya!" Kuroka complained.

"You can tell me later. If we don't get eliminated, we're going to celebrate at my house. You guys are invited if you want to come," Issei said.

"Maybe after our match. Who's your opponent?" Vali asked.

Issei grimaced and pulled out his scroll. Vali's eyes narrowed when he saw the name on the screen of Issei's scroll.

_Contestant Name: Thor_

_Other Aliases: TheLegend27, God of Thunder_

_GPS Ranking: BBB-Rank Deity Class _

Vali whistled. "Thor. He's one of the strongest beings in the world, qualifying as the strongest Norse God with his level of skill. While there's a vast power difference, he's known as the Indra of the Norse Pantheon," Vali said.

"Is he stronger than Odin?" Issei asked.

"No, Odin at full power is much more powerful. I would know," Vali said.

"Good luck," Bikou said, clapping Issei's shoulder.

"Thanks, I'll need it. Oh! Vali, can you look after Lily while our match is going on?" Issei asked.

"Yeah sure," Vali replied.

Issei looked down and kneeled in front of Lily. She had a curious look on her face when she saw Issei smiled softly at her.

"Lily, I need you to stay with Vali-nii-chan for a bit while your sister and I go to participate in our match," Issei said.

Lily nodded.

"Good luck Nii," Lily said. "And Nee too."

Issei ruffled her hair then turned to look at Vali. "You guys going to be sitting with the Maou?"

Vali nodded.

"Well, I'll see you in a bit, Lils," Issei said.

Lily nodded and grabbed Vali's hand. Kuroka cooed at the sheer cuteness of the girl and began to shower her with affection as Issei left the ice cream parlor.

* * *

Issei walked down the hallway to the room their team had been assigned to wait in before their match. Issei had the luck of being drawn as one of the first matches of the evening and against an extremely powerful team as well. While he didn't doubt his team's strength, the fact that they were going up against a God right off the bat was extremely unnerving for him as a leader. He sighed.

**[Nerves getting to you?]** Ddraig asked.

"_Yeah. Thor huh?_" Issei said.

**(Thor? Hah, I remember him! The guy is nice if not a bit… arrogant. I wonder if he mellowed out.)** Mastema commented.

**|The most important thing is to remain calm. Thor is a powerful God and a brilliant fighter but you just have to out-think and outwit him. Rating Games aren't all about just strength. They're a battle of wits between two kings. Remember Issei, powerful weapons may give one advantages but every Death Star has a weak point that can be exploited|** Tiamat said.

"_Thanks, Tiamat. I keep forgetting that you administered the Rating Games_," Issei said.

**|Hmm, it's no big deal. Anything for our little whelp|** Tiamat said.

Issei entered the room and immediately felt the mood. The oppressive pressure that was the hopelessness that he felt coming from his team was thick and if one were to have a knife, they could cut through it as if it were solid.

"Guys? Who died?" Issei asked.

"Someone might as well have, Kouhai-chan," Rikka said.

"Oh, so you saw them on the way in," Issei said.

"Thor-sama's team… it's composed of some of the best warriors in Norse Mythology," Mica said.

"I know," Issei opened his scroll and projected the screen onto the large TV in the room. "But winning a war isn't just about weapons. A brilliant strategy is key as well."

"Hmm," Vasco said, looking at Thor's Roster.

_Thor (King)_

_Sif (Queen)_

_Leif Erickson (Pawn)_

_Geir (Bishop)_

_Hervor (Knight)_

_Sigurd (Knight)_

_Erik the Red (Pawn)_

_Eric Bloodaxe (Rook)_

"Hmm, we seem to have a similar number of people on our side. Judging from the fact that I see Lady Sif on his team, I can assume that she will be the brains behind this entire operation and Lord Thor and the others would just be following her strategy. This will be an extremely tough match. Lady Sif is known as a tactical genius throughout the Pantheons," Vasco said.

"Got anything to counter her?" Rikka asked, looking at the roster.

"I can't say for certain but the current plan right now is to prevent Issei from being eliminated. If he's eliminated, we lose the match. Do you know where our fight will take place?" Vasco asked Issei.

"New York City. Specifically Manhattan," Issei answered.

"This works out perfectly," Vasco said. "Alright, everybody!"

Everyone in the room turned to the elderly priest, who had a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

"Here is the current plan," Vasco said.

* * *

"**Welcome to the second match of today folks! For those of you just tuning in now, I am your host for the Azazel Cup, Naud Gamigin!**" a man with violet hair said.

Rikka blinked when she laid eyes on him. She glanced over at the others who were waiting to be teleported into the arena.

"Um, doesn't he look kinda like the guy from the _Hunger Games_ who does all the announcements?" Rikka asked.

The others blinked and Issei narrowed his eyes at Naud and a look of recognition passed over his face.

"Huh…, he does. I never really thought of that," Issei said.

"**This is the third match of the evening! This match comes off as a surprise to most people though we here in the Underworld expected this to happen one day! On one side, we have the Oppai Dragon, Issei Hyoudou and his Team Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth!**" Naud said.

The screen flashed to Issei's face, which morphed into a surprised look upon seeing himself on the screen.

"Look, Ise-kun, you're on TV… again," Irina said, snickering at his shocked look. A tick mark appeared on Issei's face as he pulled her cheek, causing her to cry out.

"**And on the opposite team! We have him! He who slew a million Giants in their first attempt at trying to overthrow the Asgardians! He surpassed Odin as the strongest deity in Norse Mythology! The Enemy of Jormungandr himself! THOR!**" Naud announced.

Cheers erupted throughout the stadium as the image of a man with shoulder-length blonde hair with electrifyingly blue eyes and a short beard appeared on the screen. He wore a dark blue chest plate with silver chainmail long sleeve shirt underneath. He had a fierce grin on his face as he responded to the cheers.

**(Hmmm)** Mastema hummed as her eyes narrowed at the sight of him.

"**ARE BOTH TEAMS READY!?**" Naud asked.

"You know what to do the minute we get in right?" Issei asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Alright then… Team MIDNIGHT! ABOUT FACE!" Issie ordered as they were teleported into the arena.

* * *

"I've never been here before," Bova said as he walked down an empty road. The skyscrapers of downtown Manhattan towered above him.

"Yeah, New York is a really big place. Good thing we're only in Manhattan," Rikka said, scanning her surroundings.

"Why were we paired together again?" Bova asked, placing his hands behind his head.

"Because the others thought it would be a good team-building exercise to put us on the same team. Honestly, just don't get in my way," Rikka said.

"I was about to say the same to you," Bova said as he poked a newspaper dispenser.

"I'm surprised at the detail they put. They even got the Prometheus statue in front of the Rockefeller Center," Rikka said as they passed by the base of the Rockefeller Center.

"I want to see the real thing one day," Bova said, eyeing the statue.

Rikka suddenly went on guard, her hand flying to her katana. Her eyes narrowed. Without warning, Rikka shoved Bova to the side and drew her Katana deflecting three flaming arrows.

Bova's eyes darted to the fifth floor of the Rockefeller center and saw a woman with a bow trained on them.

"Fifth floor," Bova said, spreading his wings.

"Gotcha," Rikka said as she sheathed Obsidian Rite. She summoned two talismans.

"Lion's Fist of the Asura! Iron Wall Charm! Rasai Senkan!" she chanted.

A matrix of glowing Kanji spread throughout Rikka's body before disappearing.

"Behind you!" Bova called out.

Rikka immediately leaped into the air as a massive ax slammed down on the concrete where she used to stand. The cement shattered, sending dust and debris everywhere as the entire block shook. Bova took to the skies, observing the ax-wielding warrior that had appeared before them.

"Rikka! You okay!" Bova asked.

"I'm fine! Go get the archer!" she said. Bova nodded and made a beeline for the fifth floor of the Rockefeller Center.

"So… which one are you?" Rikka asked as she gripped the hilt of Obsidian Rite tightly.

"I… I am Eric Bloodaxe," the man said as he walked out of the dust cloud. The man was tall, possibly even as tall as Vasco Strada. He was extremely muscular with arms and legs as thick as a telephone pole. He wore only black pants with dark fur boots and a black fauld. His arms were wrapped in thick iron and fur gauntlets. His eyes were blood-red with light red hair and a thick beard. In his right hand was large dark steel ax wit pulsating red veins that made Rikka's skin crawl.

"Eric Bloodaxe… the legendary King of the Egil Saga whose name was Eric Haraldsson," Rikka said.

"The very same lassie," Eric said as he took slow steps towards her.

"So they pulled you out of Valhalla for this tournament then?" Rikka asked as she began to take a few steps back.

"Aye! Even gave me ax a little of an upgrade!" Eric said as he charged at her. Rikka narrowly dodged as he swung the ax. The building behind her was sliced apart as a pressure wave tore through the entirety of the pillars on the ground floor.

Rikka quickly countered by kicking him in the chin, sending him crashing into the fountain in Rockefeller Plaza. She dashed towards him as the building behind her began to fall.

"BOVA!" Rikka called, forming a CC.

"_Kind of busy! Her arrows! They're not normal! SHE'S A DAMN VALKYRIE!"_ Bova said.

"Well, my guy's a genuine article! He's Einherjar from Valhalla!" Rikka said as she swung Obsidian Rite. Eric blocked her katana with his ax, locking them in a deadlock.

"_Shit! I'll call back!_" Bova said before severing the link.

"Bova? BOVA! FUCK!" Rikka called as Eric pushed back, sending her skidding across the concrete.

Above them, a blast of fire exploded from the Rockefeller building as the skyscraper was hit with the collapsing building that Eric destroyed.

"Tch! Rin! Kyo! Toh! Sha!" Rikka dodged as Eric slammed his ax into the ground. Pain coursed through her body as the Viking Chief slammed his foot into her stomach, sending her crashing into the wall.

Rikka shakily got to her feet as she clutched her side.

"My fucking ribs," she panted. She coughed, sending blood onto the pavement. "Finish the chant, Rikka…"

"ROOOO!" Eric charged towards her, his ax poised to strike the final blow.

"Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen! HAYA-KUJI!" Rikka swiped her palms in a cross-motion in the air as Eric brought down his ax. A kuji-kiri appeared on the Einherjar's chest, freezing him in place. His eyes widened as he looked down at her in shock as she grinned.

"Einherjar or not… a spirit is a spirit," Rikka said. "And spirits can be affected with Exorcist techniques of any mythology."

Lightning began to crackle on her fingertips.

"Rikka!"

"I got her!" Rikka called.

The entire seventh floor of the Rockefeller building exploded and Bova burst through grabbing a woman by the face. He flew upward and roared as he threw her towards Rikka.

"I can't believe I'm using _her _powers," Rikka said. She raised her palm and fired a blast of lightning at the woman. The blast hit, causing the woman to scream as volts of electricity coursed through her body. Eventually, she passed out from the pain as her body began to dissolve into particles of light.

"YOU!" Eric roared as he tried to move towards Rikka to no avail.

"Goodnight old man!" Bova said as he slammed a flaming fist on top of Eric's head. Eric's eyes rolled back as he collapsed onto the pavement, his body dissolving in the same manner as the woman's.

"_**Astounding! Team Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth is in the lead already! One Rook of Thor has been eliminated! One Bishop of Thor has been eliminated!**_" Naud announced.

"Good job, making you the Rook was probably for the best to enhance that strength of yours," Rikka said.

"You seem to play Knight really well," Bova said in return.

"Come on, let's go. I doubt they'll let us keep this lead for long," Rikka said as the two took off running.

* * *

"Damn!" Vasco said, grinning. He was currently locked in a struggle with who he could honestly call his Norse Counterpart. In front of him stood a woman. A woman of such beauty that if he were younger, he would honestly court her. He wasn't Catholic so it didn't matter if he got married or not.

Her ruby red eyes bore into his dulling blue ones, a similar bloodthirsty grin gracing her divine face. She brought her foot up to kick the side of his neck, only for Vasco to counter her and send her, skidding back.

"You're not half bad for someone from this day and age," the woman said as she leveled her sword at him.

"To think that your blade can block the full strength of my Durandal Replica," Vasco said as he swung the Holy Blade.

"Of course. Don't expect anything less from the blade, Tyrfing," she said as she dropped into a stance.

"Tyrfing? And here I thought the boy from the Gremory Peerage wielded the blade," Vasco said.

"Are you two done flirtin?" a man said as he landed next to her. He wore black armor and had blonde hair that was beginning to recede. His mustache was short and he had blue eyes. In his left hand was a short sword that had a violet aura coursing through it.

"Let me have my fun, Erik. We Einherjar don't have a purpose anymore anyway," she said.

"I'm just tellin' you, Hervor," Erik said as he tightened his grip on his blade.

Risa landed in front of him, a katana poised and ready to strike.

"This group means business," Erik said.

"I can see that," Hervor said. "Well then, let's see if you have as much skill with a Durandal knockoff as I do with this Tyrfing knockoff, shall we?"

"Knockoff?" Vasco asked.

"This is a mere copy of the original. Lord Odin managed to get the dwarves who forged the Original Tyrfing to create a copy. While it's not the Original, it merges with me really well. I suppose you could say that my soul has found something to fill the void left by my precious sword after I lost it upon death," Hervor said.

"I see," Vasco said.

"Sorry to interrupt your monologue," Risa said. "But we have a fight to finish."

"Aye. The lassie's… err, what's yer name?" Erik asked.

"Risa," she answered.

"Well, then Risa. Let's let these two lovebirds fight while you and I can dance in the corner over there," Erik said, appearing in front of her. Risa's eyes widened as she quickly blocked Eric's sword.

"I see they're continuing… how about we continue ours?" Hervor asked as she channeled magic into the blade.

Vasco narrowed his eyes and raised his guard.

"**Shock to Kill**," Hervor uttered as she sped towards him. Vasco's eyes widened as he found himself blocking an onslaught of strikes from Hervor.

Vasco roared as he swung Durandal, interrupting her strikes by parrying one of her blows. Hervor's eyes widened as Vasco's fist collided with her, sending a shockwave that shattered every window within their vicinity.

"Heh, nice punch," Hervor said, holding it back with her hand.

Vasco's eyes narrowed as he tried to push against her, sending her back a few centimeters.

Hervor directed the hand towards the concrete, sending Vasco's fist into the ground and shattering it. She jumped into the air and brought her foot down in a dropkick, which Vasco easily blocked.

Hervor narrowed her eyes as she jumped off his hand and dashed towards him again, sending a multitude of strikes. Vasco parried and blocked every one of them, sparks flying everywhere as the two swordmasters danced a deadly dance of blades.

"Shit!" Erik said as he glanced at Hervor and Vasco.

"I'd pay attention if I were you," Risa said, planting her foot into his stomach. Erik coughed up blood as he was sent crashing into a nearby store.

Risa raised her hand and formed several light spears and sent them in Erik's direction.

The light spears all met their mark as a thunderous explosion tore apart the streets.

Risa narrowed her eyes as she eyed the cloud. Suddenly, a stream of thunder rocketed towards her. She drew her katana and sheathed it. In the blink of an eye, the thunderbolt was sliced apart by a black line that quickly vanished.

"Nice sword you got there," Erik said, walking out of the store with a few burn marks and scratches.

"And your sword. It's nice. Armor too," Risa said. "Where'd you get it?"

"Unlike dear Hervor, our weapons had to be custom ordered and made. A legendary smith who resides within Valhalla. Volund," Erik said.

"The Blacksmith who forged Beowolf's weapons and armor? And those weapons are from him?" Risa asked.

"Yes," Erik said.

"I see," Risa replied.

"And your sword? What's the story behind that?" Erik asked.

"I'll tell you if one of us wins. Just know that it's called Tatsumasa. In my language, it means Correction," Risa answered.

"Oho," Erik said, raising an eyebrow as he gripped his blade.

"Let's continue!" he said as he dashed towards her.

* * *

"Tohka!" Ingvild said as they flew through the air. "How is everyone?"

"Everyone's encountered someone except us, Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina," Tohka said as she hovered in mid-air. She was currently clad in midnight-black armor with a red rose embedded in the center. Her violet eyes darted around the New York Skyline.

"Rikka and Bova eliminated two of Thor's Pieces," Mica said as he floated next to her. "That gives us a slight lead. Looks like Vasco's plan of having us scatter and play on Thor's confidence on his team is working. Thor's team is scattered across the entire arena."

"Yeah but for all we know, they might have been scouts. And remember, Rikka said that they were Einherjar," Ingvild said, hovering next to them.

"Get down!" Tohka said as she raised her hand. A massive golden barrier appeared around Mica and Ingvild, blocking a green beam of energy. The energy beam began to crack Tohka's barrier as she struggled to maintain it.

"Summon your MagiTech and Sacred Gear!" Tohka ordered.

"Right! Summoning Great Moonlight Blade now," Mica said, summoning a silver tomahawk from a magic circle.

Ingvild's eyes bled red as a violet bar appeared inside her pupil. She formed two magic circles at the palms of her hands.

Tohka poured more power into her barrier, deflecting the blast. The energy beam traveled and landed in a random portion of Manhattan, destroying it.

Tohka dispelled the barrier as Mica and Ingvild kept their guards up.

"There," Mica said, sensing energy over from one of the buildings.

A man with a mix of white and black hair wearing dark armor stood at the roof. His eyes were icy blue, possessing a wicked gaze akin to that of the Devils of Old. His expression was calm and inviting but the three felt the power behind his calm. It was as if he was holding back a tidal wave.

Next to him stood a man wearing a thick fur tunic with a shoulder-cape like clothing on his shoulders. He had wavy blonde hair that blew gently in the breeze. His face was chiseled as if he was made entirely out of marble. His blue eyes looked at them with a hint of boredom as he crossed his arms. Two small daggers hung on his belt.

"Who are you?" Ingvild called out, not once taking her eyes off them.

"Us? I heard from Brynhildr that nowadays, it's rude to ask without introducing yourself first," the armored man said.

"Brynhildr?" Mica said.

"Remember what Rikka said… they're not humans nor demigods. They're not even Gods. They're Einherjar from Valhalla," Tohka said.

"I'm Tohka Thyella. A Demigod. Friend of the Red Dragon Emperor and-"

"Cut the shit!" the blonde man said.

"Excuse me?" Tohka said.

"You're not a Demigod. You feel too different," the armored man said.

"...," Tohka remained silent.

"Not gonna talk? I'll respect your secret," the man said. He slapped his breastplate as he introduced himself. "I am Sigurd!"

"Nothing else?" Ingvild asked. "No titles like Slayer of Fafnir or Lover of Brynhildr?"

"What no? Why would I have that title?" Sigurd asked.

"You… killed Fafnir," Mica replied.

"And? That's not something we should celebrate. Fafnir was a dear friend of mine… before… before his fall into madness," Sigurd said, clenching his fist.

"Er… sorry," Tohka asked.

"I'm Mica. I am the heir of Mica," Mica said.

"Ingvild. Ingvild… Leviathan. Descendant of the Original Leviathan," Ingvild said.

"Ho? Leviathan?" the blonde man said.

"Yes, and you are?" Tohka asked.

"Erik! Erik the Red!" he said, grinning from ear to ear as he drew his knives. "I'll tell you the real reason I got that name by eliminating you in the name of Thor! Praise his name heretics and prepare to the coming of his millennial kingdo-!"

Sigurd silenced Erik by slapping the back of his head.

"Let's begin shall we?" Sigurd said, summoning a black blade. The blade seemed to be covered in an eternal shadow with red markings etched on both sides. Its hilt was decorated in green jewels that glimmered ominously in the artificial light.

"Is that…?" Tohka asked.

"No. But I almost had you there. I requested that the blade look like Gram due to my attachment to it. I'm thinking of calling it… Ragnarok," Sigurd said. Without warning, Sigurd appeared in between the three and swung his blade, sending them all flying apart.

* * *

Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki crossed through the entrance to one of Manhattan's most iconic locations. The green hills and wilderness amidst the bustling urban jungle that was outside those gates would be filled with people. But sadly, this was but a replica of the original. A convincing one at that.

"Central Park. This is where the energy signature was coming from," Mitsuki said.

"Why did Vasco send us directly to Thor?" Issei asked.

"Vasco-oji has his reasons. Don't forget… he's the most powerful exorcist in the Church. He's been winning battles before our parents were even conceived," Irina said.

"Yeah, but," Issei said, looking up at the sudden appearance of thunder clouds.

**(It looks like Thor knows you're here…)** Mastema said.

As if on cue, the sound of a thunderclap accompanied by a bolt of lightning crashed in front of them, sending winds that pushed back Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki. Thor walked out of the lightning bolt, accompanied by a woman with rich blonde hair that the three almost mistook it for gold. Her eyes were a soft shade of blue that reminded them of a clear sky. She wore blue and grey armor with black leggings made of a fluid metal-like substance.

"Red Dragon," Thor said in a gruff voice that had the force of a Category V Hurricane.

"Thor-sama," Issei said, summoning the **[Boosted Gear]**.

"It's a little odd for you to target us off the bat," the woman said in a smooth, silky voice.

"Well, we kind of expected you to be alone," Mitsuki said.

"You were wrong in your assumption though I have to admit. Your team is powerful, considering they were able to defeat Geir and Eric Bloodaxe," Thor praised.

Issei glanced at Irina and Mitsuki and nodded at each other.

**[|Wesh Dragon Balance Breaker!|]**

Issei dashed towards Thor, his fist cocked back to strike. Sif appeared in front of Issei, blocking his attack with her sword. Mitsuki and Irina appeared next to Sif, causing her eyes to go wide and launched her into the sky with a combined kick.

"Go!" Issei said.

The two nodded and darted toward Thor's Queen.

"Now that we're actually alone," Issei said, summoning **[Ascalon]**.

"Well then… let's fight," Thor said. A bolt of lightning crashed into Thor's hand. A small silver hammer appeared in Thor's hand that Issei recognized immediately.

"Mjolnir," Issei said.

"You were worthy of wielding this against Loki. Now, let's see how you fare when you're on the receiving end of it," Thor said as he raised the hammer. Electricity crackled across the hammer's surface as Thor pointed it towards Issei. A massive bolt of lightning shot forth from the hammer which Issei narrowly dodged.

Issei glanced behind him wide-eyed as a massive scorched trench stretched on behind him.

**[Issei. Now's not the time to lose your nerve!]** Ddraig urged.

"Lose my nerve? Are you kidding me?" Issei said. "My blood is pumping right now!"

Ddraig and Tiamat smiled inside their gear.

Issei raised his right arm.

**|Boosted Gear Shift: Calamity Gear!|** Tiamat announced as the gem on Issei's right gauntlet shifted to blue.

"Let's do this," Issei said. He dashed towards Thor, beginning their fight.

* * *

"Gahk!" Ingvild felt one of her ribs break as she slammed into the side of a skyscraper. She looked at Sigurd, her vision swimming, as he raised Ragnarok, prepared to eliminate her from the game. He brought his sword down only for a violet barrier to appear in front of Ingvild.

"Hey!" Tohka said, her hand outstretched. Erik appeared behind Tohka, his daggers were drawn to strike at her undefended back when Mica appeared next to him and slammed his tomahawk into his side, sending Erik careening into the roof of a skyscraper.

"**MagiTech Release: Bloodletter!**"

Mica's tomahawk transformed into a massive black battle-ax. He raised the ax above his head and swung it, sending a wave of compressed air at the downed Erik. Erik rolled out of the way as the wave cut through the building, splitting the skyscraper down the middle.

Tohka glanced at Mica and smirked.

"**MagiTech Release: Onyx Storm Armaments: Code Ketus!**" Tohka's armor shifted as her left gauntlet transformed into a cannon. Aiming it at Sigurd, she began to charge energy.

Sigurd, feeling a spike in power, dashed towards Tohka with Ragnarok ready to strike.

"**Dawn Strike Formation: Epoch Cannon!**" Tohka said. A massive beam of red energy fired from Tohka's arm cannon.

Sigurd swung Ragnarok, blocking her energy beam, sending stray blasts in all directions.

"Ingvild!" Tohka cried as she tried to push against Sigurd's blade.

"Right!" Ingvild raised her hand and summoned a massive blue magic circle. She threw her hand down, sending an onslaught of water dragons at Sigurd.

The Einherjar's eyes widened as the dragons sped toward him.

Erik appeared in front of Sigurd. He swung his daggers rapidly, dispelling the dragons.

"**Tsujigiri!**" Erik's eyes widened as he felt something cut deep into his back.

"Rikka!" Ingvild said in relief.

Rikka kicked off Erik's back and stabbed Obsidian Rite into the building, stopping her fall.

"You alright?" Rikka asked.

"Yeah, those two," Ingvild said.

"Sigurd and Erik the Red," Rikka said. "I might have to release my MagiTech's abilities…"

"No… you don't," Ingvild said. Ingvild's eyes began to glow. She raised her palm, gathering red energy at the center. "Time to knock Erik out… **Scarlet Serpent Annihilation!**"

A small condense energy missile sped towards Erik and Sigurd. Erik's eyes widened as he kicked Sigurd out of the way, releasing his lock on Tohka's attack. Tohka and Ingvild's attacks collided with Erik, producing a bright red explosion that could be seen across the entire city as everyone felt the shockwave.

"**Pawn**** of Thor has been eliminated!**" Naud announced.

"We did it," Rikka said. "Ingvild?"

Her eyes widened when she saw a dagger embedded into Ingvild's torso. Ingvild looked down and smiled as her eyes began to flutter.

"Tohka!" Mica cried out as he flew over and caught her. She had Erik's other dagger stabbed into her side. "Heh… I guess I didn't see that one coming…"

"Tohka…," Mica said.

"I'm not dying… just gonna pass out from blood loss. Bitch's dagger severed an artery," Tohka said as her eyes fluttered shut. Her body dissolved into particles.

Rikka watched as Ingvild's body dissolved as well.

"**A Bishop and a Pawn of Issei Hyoudou has been eliminated!**" Naud announced. "**What a stunning display! Erik the Red has taken his opponents with him!**"

"Mica," Rikka said.

"Yeah… let's not let their elimination be in vain," Rikka said.

"Yeah," Mica answered, tightening his grip on the Great Moonlight Blade.

Without warning, the two charged at Sigurd to continue.

* * *

Vasco and Risa let out slightly winded breaths as they continued to stare down their opponents. Cuts and bruises littered their bodies. Their opponents looked no worse for wear, having the same injuries as they did. Hervor and Leif Erikson also let out small heavy breaths with grins on their faces. The two duos charged at each other again, continuing their dance of blades.

Risa hopped on the flat of Vasco's Durandal Replica as he launched her towards Hervor/ Leif Erickson hopped in between them and parried Risa's blow. She growled as she lifted her hand towards the sky, throwing Leif Erikson into the air with a telekinetic wave of energy.

Her eyes widened as she bent backward, barely dodging Hervor's Tyrfing Replica.

Vasco appeared behind Risa and slammed his fist into Hervor's side, sending her flying through a building. Risa smiled and took off towards Leif. Leif righted himself in mid-air as he was falling and saw Risa flying towards him. The two collided in the air as Risa kicked Leif to the ground.

Leif landed on his feet and blocked Risa's slash.

"Tch, Vasco! How are you holding up!?" Risa asked as she staggered Leif. She swung Tatsumasa in an attempt to land a finishing blow but failed as the nimble Einherjar ducked out of the way.

"This woman won't go down!" Vasco said as he slammed Durandal R on Tyrfing.

"Watch out old man!" Vasco jumped out of the way as a blast of fire rocketed towards Hervor.

Hervor's eyes widened as she swung Tyrfing R and sliced the fireball apart. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a dragon flying at rapid speeds towards her. She jumped into the air, dodging him as he bulleted towards her.

"Bova!" Risa and Vasco said.

"I'm here to help," Bova said as he hovered in front of Hervor.

"My, my… what is the social norm these days? Take me to dinner first before double-teaming me?" Hervor said as she dropped into a stance.

"OI!" Bova said, a crimson blush staining his cheeks. He barely blocked as Hervor appeared in front of him and kicked him. Bova pushed her back and grabbed her leg, throwing her towards Vasco.

Vasco jumped at Hervor to attack, however, Hervor anticipated this and twisted her body, swinging Tyrfing R and slashing Vasco's back. She landed and slashed her sword once more, sending a wave of energy towards Vasco and Bova. Vasco, despite his injury, cut the energy wave apart. He and Bova sped towards Hervor

Hervor kicked Bova out of the way, sending him crashing into a building. She backflipped as Vasco swung Durandal. Not letting her have any room to recover, Vasco continued his relentless onslaught on Hervor.

The Einherjar gritted her teeth as she found his swings harder to counter and dodge. She roared and swung Tyrfing with enough force to stagger Vasco. She grinned as she dug Tyrfing through a non-lethal area in his torso. Vasco spit out blood as he looked down.

"This is over," Tyrfing said. Vasco's hand wrapped itself around her head. Tyrfing's grin grew wider as a beam of energy shot out of Vasco's back causing him to fall to one knee in pain, still holding Hervor's face.

"It's done," she said as she moved to take Vasco's hand off her face. In doing so, she lowered her guard and Vasco, seeing the opportunity, tightened his grip and swung her, slamming her onto the concrete five times.

Hervor looked up at him with wide eyes as pain wracked her entire body. He slammed his massive foot on her torso, knocking her out.

"**Knight of Thor has been eliminated!**" Naud announced.

Vasco grinned and fell to his knees. He placed his hand on his torso and looked at the blood that now stained his hands.

"Old Man," Bova said, limping towards Vasco.

"Go, help Risa," Vasco said. "I can't fight with this wound. That energy beam managed to damage some of the organs in my body. I retire…"

"Old Man," Bova said.

"BOVA!" Risa cried out as she and Leif were locked in combat.

Bova closed his eyes and took off to help Risa. Vasco's eyes closed as he smiled.

"The youth of today… how interesting," Vasco said as he dissolved into a stream of yellow lights.

"**V- Vasco Strada has been eliminated! Rook of Issei Hyoudou has retired!**" Naud announced.

* * *

"**Rook of Issei Hyoudou has retired!**"

Issei froze when he heard those words. Vasco was quite possibly their strongest piece and he was eliminated? What kind of monsters did Thor have on his team?

"Pay attention!"

Issei cried out in pain as Mjolnir slammed into his chest, sending him through fifteen buildings. Issei crashed into the face of the Empire State, groaning in pain.

**(Issei! Look out!)** Mastema yelled. Issei rolled out of the way as Thor crashed through the building. Issei jumped off the wall and hovered in front of the hole.

**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**

**|Umu Taburuttu!|** Tiamat announced. A beam of blue energy shot into the wall, creating a large explosion.

Issei flew out of the way as a massive thunderbolt exploded from the Empire State. Issei barely blocked Thor's punch as Thor appeared in front of him.

Issei gritted his teeth. His eyes glowed and Thor was sent rocketing back into a building.

**[You're getting better with that telekinesis of yours]** Ddraig said.

"Thanks," Issei said. "I think I might need it… and a Phenex Tear after this. The guy broke five ribs I think."

**|Gotcha|** Tiamat said.

**[|Crimson Moon: Full Drive|]** the two dragons announced. Issei was clad in black armor with red and blue gems. He flew towards Thor in a burst of speed that surprised the God. Thor felt Issei's fist impact the side of his face, sending him flying through the Empire State. Issei appeared behind him and performed an ax kick, sending Thor into the streets below.

The entirety of the arena shook as the Thunder God crashed into the ground.

Issei raised his hand and began to channel his Miasma into a single point.

**(So you're going to use it?)** Mastema asked.

"_I have no choice! If I don't end this fast, Thor will get the better of me… without DxD G or Pseudo DxD, there's no way I can fight on par with deities like him. Other deities yes but those like Thor…,_" Issei said.

**(Until you can master the Ultimate Form of your Miasma Enhanced Forms, I guess using your powers in conjunction with this form is all you can do)** Mastema said.

Issei gritted his teeth as pain shot through his body.

* * *

In the VIP booths of the arena, Zekram's eyes widened when he saw a black and red sphere forming above Issei's head.

Sirzechs and Venelana recognized it as well, alongside every other occupant in the room.

"How!? How is he using the Power of Destruction!?" Lord Bael demanded.

Michael narrowed his eyes. _No… that's not… is it? It can't be,_ Michael thought as he watched Issei fight.

* * *

"Eat this!" Issei said as he launched the crimson sphere at Thor.

Thor looked up and grinned when he saw the massive black and red sphere.

"Power of Destruction? I didn't know you were a Bael," Thor said. He spun Mjolnir and swung it, slingshotting himself towards the sphere. He slammed the hammer into the ball of destructive energy.

Thor's eyes widened when he felt the power behind it.

"He's boosted it?" Thor grinned as he poured more power into Mjolnir.

Thor pushed with all his might and shattered the sphere, sending countless bolts of energy impacting the cityscape.

Issei's eyes widened as Thor slammed Mjolnir into his stomach and then elbowed Issei's spine sending him crashing into a building.

Issei shakily got on his hands and knees and opened his visor. He coughed, sending a massive glob of blood onto the pavement.

"He's… too strong," Issei said.

**(He has enough power to shatter that Final Element Sphere. It seems that you need more training after this)** Mastema said.

"N… No kidding," Issei said. His gaze traveled to the hovering Thunder God. As he was about to get up, Issei heard an announcement that made his heart drop and his blood boil.

"**Queen of Issei Hyoudou has been eliminated**," Naud announced.

"It seems that Sif has gotten serious," Thor said, eyeing the golden storm in the distance.

"Mitsuki," Issei said, following Thor's gaze.

**[Issei. You need to finish this before Sif and Mitsuki finish their battle. If Sif defeats your sister, your chances of winning are gone.]** Ddraig urged.

"I know that," Issei said.

**|Issei, we have to use **_**it**_**.| **Tiamat said.

"It's not ready. I can't even last five minutes in that form," Issei said.

**(You have no choice. As it is right now, that form is the only form that will allow you to fight Thor on near-even grounds)** Mastema said.

"Give your strength," Issei said as he shakily got to his feet. Thor raised an eyebrow when he noticed a dark red aura surrounding Issei.

"This form is new," Issei said. "I got it through my training but I have yet to extend its time limit."

* * *

_Issei panted as he fell to his knees. Mastema's training regimen was taking an immense toll on his body. His new powers. He marveled at its versatility. His favorite of them all thus far was the Power of Destruction. However, Mastema referred to it as the Final Element or one of its applications._

_**(We're not done. Continue)**__ Mastema said._

"_Haaah!" Issei entered his __**[Balance Breaker]**__ which quickly shifted into his __**[Crimson Moon: Full Drive]**__._

_Blood poured from Issei's eyes as the sclera turned black. An explosion of black and red aura poured forth from Issei's armor as tremors rocked the entirety of Kuoh._

* * *

**[|Crimson Chaos Breaker: Satan Drive!|]**

Issei's armor had changed. It was no longer like any of the previous transformations Issei had undergone. His entire body appeared to be a demonic mockery of the **[Boosted Gear's]** former **[Cardinal Crimson Promotion]**. Issei's armor now resembled that of solid magma that solidified, giving off the appearance of a coat. A small crown of curved horns sat atop his visor. Red lines pulsated across his chest. Five pairs of feathered black and red energy wings appeared behind Issei.

"This is new," Thor muttered as he prepared himself. He blinked and saw that Issei was no longer there. He whirled around, scanning his surroundings.

Thor's eyes widened when he felt something slam into his neck. His eyes rolled over to see Issei slamming his leg into the back of his neck.

Thor cried out in pain as he crashed through the building and skidded across several hundred feet of pavement and dirt before crashing into one of the artificial ponds of Central Part.

"Time to end this. I don't have much time left," Issei said, disappearing in a burst of speed. He appeared in front of a surprised Thor as he uppercut the deity, sending him into the air.

Thor stabilized himself and threw Mjolnir at Issei. Issei darted to the right and held his hand out.

**[Issei. You're going to use the Power of Destruction again?]** Ddraig asked.

"_It'll be our final gambit! Boost it as much as you can for me!"_ Issei said.

**|We'll try hatchling!|** Tiamat said.

**[|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] **

Issei charged towards Thor as the sphere in his hand increased in power.

"Oh no, you don't!" Thor said as he summoned Mjolnir into his hand.

Hearing a whirring sound, Issei glanced back and saw Mjolnir heading towards him. He ascended, barely dodging the hammer but never lost ground.

Thor channeled his divine energy into the hammer and shot towards Issei.

"_This is our last gambit!_"

**[|DEEP CRIMSON SPIRAL!|]** Issei thrust his palm towards Thor as the massive sphere of destructive energy expanded to the size of an eight-story. Thor slammed his empowered Mjolnir into the sphere, sending a massive shockwave across the entire arena and beyond as Agreas shook underneath the force of their blows.

"COME ON!" Issei roared as he kept boosting the sphere.

Thor growled as he tried to push back to no avail. Thor's eyes widened when he saw Mjolnir being pushed back. Eventually, the lock broke with his lightning being consumed by Issei's Crimson Spiral. Thor grinned as his entire body was consumed by the sphere.

Issei fired the sphere, sending it flying through the Manhattan Skyline before curving upward. The sphere reached the barrier surrounding the Rating Game Arena and broke through it before rupturing the skies of Gehenna in a thunderous explosion.

The entire crowd was shocked. None more so than the VIP Booth which was filled with various Pantheon Leaders from across the Earth. Odin smiled, a little disappointed that Thor had lost so early in the Games but felt pride at witnessing Issei's win.

"**I… uh… I can't believe it!**" Naud proclaimed. "**Thor has retired! THE MATCH GOES TO TEAM Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth!"**

Issei's armor dispelled as he landed. He fell to his knees and panted heavily as he heard the cheers around him. He smiled a bloody smile as he waved to the crowds.

"Our first win…," Issei said as he dissolved in a shower of lights.

* * *

In a different booth, the Gremory Peerage sat with mixed feelings as they cheered for Issei's win. Rias smiled at the prospect of being able to face her ex-lover in a match but also felt nervous. Issei was stronger than her by miles. Her new abilities with her eyes might be able to even the odds but she never knew by how much. Her thoughts were interrupted when Akeno tapped her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Rias asked, glancing at Akeno.

"I'm going to go get something to eat," she said.

"Just be back by our match against Team Mammon," Rias said.

Akeno nodded and left the room. As soon as she closed the door, her eyes shifted color briefly to yellow. A sadistic grin appeared on her face before composing herself and walking down the hallway. Akeno walked down the stairs to an unseen corner of the arena and entered the kitchen. She snapped her fingers, causing a haze to appear over the eyes of the chefs as she walked through. She opened the back door of the kitchen and stepped outside.

"Beelzebub," a voice said.

Akeno/Beelzebub's eyes changed from violet to yellow as he turned to greet them.

"Naamah. Have they reported in?" Beelzebub asked.

"Yes, they have. They located it," Naamah said.

"Hmph, tell them to acquire the Gun at all costs. Kill all witnesses," Beelzebub said.

Naamah nodded but then remembered something.

"Beelzebub… the gun only has six bullets left," Naamah said,

"We don't need the bullets. Just the gun. And one of them," Beelzebub said.

"Do you believe that he's the one?" Naamah asked.

"I do," Beelzebub said. He glanced at her, sending shivers of fear down her spine. "If Elder Sister believes he is the one, then he is the one."

Naamah remained silent as she walked past Beelzebub.

"Apollyon and I are slated to go next after him. I'll contact you later," she said, disappearing before his eyes.

"Soon, Issei. Soon," Beelzebub said, his eyes glowing ominously as he walked back into the stadium.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**AnimeFan0216: Mastema is going to be a very important character to Issei in the coming chapters so their mother-son relationship will develop throughout the rest of this season and the next one.**

**Scrumblenut: Ah, yes, thanks for your Midnight suggestion! I was able to form a team name with it almost immediately.**

**Rhongomyniad: Hmm, since I had Lucifer create the Progenitor Demons, I also had her create their spouses when they were ready. I came up with this idea when I was typing up Beelzebub's history. So she made two Leviathans but she made the male one before the female one. The female one came later. It'll be explained more when we learn more about Beelzebub's history.**

**Anon: I will have Grayfia teach Lily since Lily has the Grayfia Family Power.**

* * *

**Haha! Didn't expect that to happen during the match, did you! Did you? Ahh yes. Anyway, if you noticed the difference between this and the Original Version is that Thor's team has drastically changed. For example, I put Brunhilde back on her canon with Typhon. And the Demons are starting to make their moves which means that... we're coming back up on the Original! I hope you like the new powers I gave Issei. Alright everyone, have a great day/night or not. The choice is yours~!**


	20. Agares vs Hyoudou

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Ajuka Stadium, February 18, 2020, 2:45 PM; Current Time: 4 Minutes and 5 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"**ANOTHER OUTSTANDING WIN FOR TEAM MIDNIGHT DRAGON EMPEROR OF BLAZING TRUTH! NOT EVEN THE FEROCITY OF HOUSE FURCAS WAS ABLE TO BRING THEM DOWN!**" Naud shouted through the microphone at the top of his lungs.

In the arena, Issei breathed a sigh of relief and sat down, tired from his most recent match. Irina sat down next to him, stabbing her sword into the ground and leaning her head against his shoulder as the two dissipated into a shower of faint red lights.

"MAN!" Bova said as he placed his hands behind his head. A bandage was wrapped around his arm, a gift from their previous rating game with Thor. "We won. But… it wasn't a big one like Thor-sama's! It was a small fry devil heir!"

Rikka giggled as she punched Bova's shoulder. "You didn't do too bad yourself, Lizard Boy."

"You really think so?" Bova asked.

"Yeah," Rikka said, praising him. The two stared into each other's eyes as the world slowly faded away. Rikka could only see Bova and Bova only saw Rikka. It was as if… as if…

"Are we interrupting something?"

The two yelped and jumped apart, something completely uncharacteristic for the usually stoic senpai of Issei Hyoudou.

The two turned and saw the white-haired Valkyrie Devil that often spent time with their kouhai/captain in the household. She tilted her head as her cyan eyes lingered on them for a few seconds.

"Rossweisse!"

Rossweisse turned to see Kiba approaching them with Gasper, Eren, and Asia.

"They didn't come?" Rossweisse asked.

Rikka and Bova looked at them with curiosity, feeling somewhat in the dark.

"Rias-sama said she's coming. Tatsuya-san and the others are out celebrating our victory still," Kiba said.

"So much for reconciliation," Rossweisse said.

"Sorry!"

They all turned to see Rias, Xenovia, Akeno, and Koneko running over to them.

"I thought he said that the others weren't coming?" Bova asked.

"Huh," Rossweisse said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I went to the bathroom," Rias said with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. Rikka narrowed her eyes. This girl was unnaturally powerful. Even more so than some of the High and Ultimate Class Devils here in the arena.

"Hello," Rikka said in a polite tone.

"Oh! Hello!" Rias said, walking over to her. "I'm Rias Gremory. It's nice to finally meet you in person, Rikka Kuroyuki. To think Ise-kun had such a powerful knight at his disposal."

"Gonna ignore me?" Bova asked, his pride feeling a bit wounded.

"I'm sorry!" Rias said, bowing. "It's good to see you again, Bova-san!"

"Gremory-san," Bova said, nodding his head.

"Are you here for Issei?" Rikka asked.

"Yes, we're here to congratulate him," Rias said.

"And so are we!"

"Governor-General," Rias said as she bowed respectfully. "Onii-sama. Onee-sama. Azrael-sama."

Azrael nodded coldly to Rias before glancing at Issei's door. Rias frowned feeling the sheer chill of Azrael's gaze as she straightened herself. Sirzechs smiled at her while Grayfia sent her a comforting look. Azazel was busy chatting with Rikka. While they waited, Rias and her peerage looked at Grayfia's stomach. The bulge had significantly increased in size and she could see her brother stroking Grayfia's belly.

"Have you thought of names?" Rias asked.

The two looked at her before glancing at each other.

"Your brother…," Grayfia said, glancing at Sirzechs with a smirk, "Thinks it's a girl and he wants to name it Annalise after your older sister. I think it's a boy and proposed to name it after Issei."

"Ne, Onii-sama. What was Nee-sama like? Tou-sama and Kaa-sama never really talk about her outside of her accomplishments," Rias said.

"Annalise? Annalise was a… crybaby for a lack of better terms," Sirzechs said. "She always followed me. Called me Onii-chan all the time. Cried when I wasn't there…"

Rias watched as a fond and longing smile formed on her brother's face. However, it wasn't just the smile that got to her. It was the way he described her. It almost sounded like… it almost sounded like how Sirzechs acted when she wasn't there.

The door to Issei's locker room suddenly opened as the rest of the team stepped out with duffle bags hoisted over their shoulders. Issei looked at everyone standing there and smiled.

"You guys were waiting for us?" Issei said.

"Of course," Grayfia said. "Congratulations on your third victory, Issei."

"Thanks, Ane," Issei said as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's really all thanks to everyone on the team."

Issei's eyes widened slightly as he was pushed forward by Vasco, who lightly patted his back. He turned around and saw the old man smiling at him.

"Don't sell yourself short, Issei," Vasco said.

"Vasco is right. You're no slouch yourself," Risa said.

"And besides," Ingvild said, "A team is nothing without their captain to support and push them. In addition to being one of our strongest players, you've been the biggest support on the team, Issei."

"Thanks, guys… I don't really know what to say," Issei said.

"Nii!" Lily pulled away from Grayfia and ran over to him and Mitsuki. The two looked down at her curiously as she began tugging on their arms. She looked over at the crowds and kept pulling.

"What is it Lil?" Asia walked over to them and squatted next to her. Lily let go of Issei and Mitsuki and grabbed Asia and tried to pull her forward.

"Ice Cream," Lily said as she pulled Asia. The blonde smiled and turned to her adoptive siblings.

"Nii-san. Nee-san. Want to go get ice cream with me and Lily?" Asia asked.

Issei and Mitsuki glanced at each other before nodding. The two grinned as they simultaneously tossed their bags at Risa and Vasco before running off. Rossweisse and Irina sighed in exasperation as they watched Issei and his twin sister run off to catch up to Asia and Lily.

"Hey, can you guys get me a Mint Chip?" Issei asked as the three ordered. Asia and Mitsuki glanced at him.

"Huh? Usually, you order for yourself, Aniki," Mitsuki said.

"I think I left my towel back in the room," Issei said.

"Don't worry Nii-san. We'll order it for you," Asia said.

Issei nodded gratefully and left the ice cream parlor, running as fast as he could back to the stadium. He opened the door to the room their team was assigned to and found his towel sitting on one of the chairs. He grabbed it and walked out, closing the door behind him. As he was leaving, he spotted a familiar figure walking in the distance in his direction.

It was her. The hooded devil that he saw during Registration. Next to her was a woman who was inhumanly beautiful. If he had to make a change to the Official List of the Most Beautiful Women in the Underworld (yes there was a list), Issei would rank this woman leagues above Serafall Leviathan, who was ranked as Number One. Serafall had nothing on her. Her breasts lightly bounced as she walked. Her midnight black hair was shining slightly in the lighting. Her outfit consisted of a white shirt with a black skirt and brown shoes. But her eyes were mesmerizing. They were a piercing yellow that made Issei feel naked the longer he looked into them.

"Hey!" Issei said. "You're the woman I saw on the day of sign-ups!"

The two stopped to look at Issei. The black-haired woman glanced down at her companion who was a head shorter than her with a curious look on her face. The hooded woman sighed and waved at Issei.

"Yes, we did see each other but we never got acquainted. My name is Apollyon," she said, introducing herself. She nudged the woman next to her.

"This woman is Katarina-!" Apollyon was interrupted when Katarina spoke.

"I'm Katarina! Katarina Alighieri!" she said. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Red Dragon."

"Alighieri? Like from Dante's Inferno?" Issei asked.

"Yes. Like from _Dante's Inferno_," Katarina said. A beeping noise went off as she pulled out her scroll. "We really do need to get going Issei. We'll see you later."

Issei nodded and waved goodbye as Apollyon and Katarina left.

"What an odd duo," Issei said as he walked out of the stadium.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, 4:55 PM**

* * *

"Alright, we have no time to celebrate," Issei said as he bit into his pizza. He walked over to the whiteboard and pulled out a black dry erase marker and wrote the name of the next team they were to fight.

**Seekvaira Agares**

Issei circled and underlined the name over and over again. He crossed his arms and looked at them, specifically at his twin sister. She blinked and pointed at herself. Issei nodded and motioned for her to join him up at the front.

"Um, why am I up here?" Mitsuki asked.

"Our opponent is your king. So I thought it would be best for you to lead the Pow Wow since you were a member of their team," Issei said.

"Well," Mitsuki said as she began to write a series of names on the board. Everyone's eyes widened at the amount. She had a full set. And their powers were completely unknown.

**Seekvaira Agares (King)**

**Alivian (Queen)**

**Kagari Madobe (Bishop)**

**Xavier Flamel (Bishop)**

**Sirius Alexander (Rook)**

**Ariana Tesla (Rook)**

**Charles Magnus (Knight)**

**Zinogre (Knight)**

**Pollux Tyndari (Pawn)**

**Castor Tyndari (Pawn)**

"Other than Zin, I know all of the powers of my fellow peerage members. Alivian is a Dragon that can assume a human form like some dragons. His specialties lie in magic but also knows hand to hand should the situation call for it. He can also access his outrage mode. Next, we have Kagari. She's a special case. She's a Technomancer. Kagari can control technology and magical technology as well. She can summon robots in combat. Then we get to Xavier. Xavier is a descendant of the Flamel Line in is extremely well versed in Alchemy. He can practically transmute any material on the battlefield into a weapon and is well versed in support based magic.

"Next we have the Rooks, Sirius Alexander and Ariana Tesla. Sirius's family is descended or claims to be descended from Iskandar. He's a pretty nice guy once you get to know him. He has a buster sword that he uses for combat reinforced and enhanced with magic to be able to cut through other metals like butter. Ariana's entire deal is that she uses a form of elemental combat. She wears a pair of gauntlets that generate several thousand volts of electricity to fight. Charles Magnus is a descendent of the Frankish King, Charlemagne hence the name. He is the current wielder of Joyeuse, a Holy Sword," Mitsuki was interrupted as Irina raised her hand.

"I'm sorry did you just say that he wields Joyeuse?" Irina asked.

"Yes, why?" Mitsuki asked.

Vasco, Irina, and Risa looked at each other before Vasco spoke up.

"Several years ago, Joyeuse was reported missing when the entirety of Lord Charlemagne's descendants were wiped out in a raid by the Carmilla Vampire Clan. The sword was missing so we assumed that they stole it… that is," Vasco said. "To think the Agares Clan had been hiding it from us."

"No need to start a crusade," Issei said. He motioned for Mitsuki to continue.

"Castor and Pollux Tyndari. Twin demigod children of the Greco-Roman Goddess, Demeter. They have the standard abilities of her children. Chlorokinesis, enhanced strength and stamina, above-average regenerative capabilities," Mitsuki listed off.

"Okay, we know who we're up against. How do we counteract them?" Mica asked as he took a bite out of his cheese pizza.

"Seekvaira-sama usually employs two strategies in her games," Mitsuki said, writing two terms on the board. Capping the marker, she pointed at it.

"Motitus and Guerilla Warfare," Mitsuki said.

"I'm familiar with guerilla warfare but what is motitus?" Tohka asked.

"Motitus is a strategy used in a war known as a Double Envelopment Maneuver. In basic terms, Seekvaira-sama uses her pawns and her knights to split the enemy peerage into smaller, manageable portions and overwhelms them in detail," Mitsuki said.

"So like divide and conquer?" Risa asked.

"Yes," Mitsuki said.

"Any counter-strategies?" Ingvild asked.

"My goal for this match is to lose the least number of people if possible. That is why we will be employing Blitzkrieg tactics," Mitsuki said. "Hit them hard and hit them fast as we plow our way to Seekvaira-sama and Alivian."

"So no splitting up to draw out their forces?" Ruby asked.

"Not this time. She'll be counting on it," Mitsuki said.

"Now, everyone in Seekvaira-sama's peerage, following the end of the War, is at least on the low end of Ultimate Class with Seekvaira-sama and Alivian being the strongest. I think our most troublesome foe for this would be… Zin," Mitsuki said.

Issei's face became serious. "Zin… has power rivaling a Dragon King."

Bova's eyes widened as he looked at Issei with an open mouth.

"She's almost as… strong as Father?" Bova asked.

Issei nodded and a silence fell upon the entire group. "Combined with Alivian and Seekvaira-sama, those three will be the toughest opponents we'll face on that team. While they're nowhere near on Thor-sama's level, Seekvaira-sama is a tactical genius rivaling Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory," Issei said.

"When's the match?" Vasco asked.

"Friday," Issei said. "Which gives us time to prepare for her."

* * *

Issei sat in the library of Hyoudou Manor, books stacked next to him as he flipped through page upon page. His eyes were focused as he absorbed every word in the book.

"Issei."

He turned around and saw Rossweisse walking up to him with a tray holding two glasses of juice. She smiled and placed one right next to him. Issei smiled as he took a sip from the glass.

_Mango…_, Issei thought as he placed the glass down.

"What are you reading?" Rossweisse asked.

"A book about possible theories on how Big G created Sacred Gears, specifically those with beings sealed inside of them," Issei said as he flipped through it, careful not to utter the Biblical God's name as to prevent Rossweisse from receiving a nasty headache.

"I see…," Rossweisse picked up one of the books.

_Theories on the True Reason for Longinus_

Rossweisse placed the book back in the pile and wrapped her arms around Issei's neck.

"You should take a break," Rossweisse said.

"Yeah… maybe I should look elsewhere like Sensei or Az-nee," Issei said.

**[Good to know that you're taking a break.]** Ddraig said.

**|Mmm. You've been researching since you started training and you've made several breakthroughs in creating your own custom Dragon Gates|** Tiamat said. **|But you need rest…|**

"Yeah… come on Rossweisse," Issei said. "Wanna watch a movie together?"

Rossweisse smiled and nodded, following him out of the room.

* * *

**Armaros Stadium, February 21, 2020, 10:00 AM**

* * *

"Man, I can never get used to that many people in the audience watching us beat the shit out of each other while wearing my face," Mica said as he crossed his arms. Their match against the Agares Clan.

"Just… ignore it. I know how this all feels…," Issei muttered, glancing at all the Oppai Dragon Banners and Merchandise that he spotted in the crowd.

"It seems that we all have fans," Rikka said, looking at the people holding banners with her face on it.

"I don't know how to feel about that…," Ingvild said, shivering at the people holding marry me signs up.

"**Welcome to the Fourth Round of the Azazel Cup! I am your announcer Naud Gamigin coming back to you live with the first round of the Semifinal Matches! I assure you that we have a treat for you all today!**" Naud announced

An image of Seekvaira appeared on the screen.

"**Team Seekvaira Agares led by the lovely, intelligent, and beautiful heiress of the Agares Clan, Seekvaira Agares!**"

Naud gestured to another image that appeared on the screen.

"**Fighting against them is the Team led by the Oppai Dragon! Ever since he defeated Lord Thor, they have been labeled by the other Gods and the Satans themselves, Team Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth led by the Oppai Dragon, the Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyoudou!**"

"I wonder where we're fighting. They didn't send me a place this time," Issei said.

"I've been wondering what the terrain is as well," Tohka said.

"**The match will be held in… Alps!**" Naud exclaimed. "**Are both sides ready!**"

Issei and Seekvaira both narrowed their eyes as their peerages both got ready.

"**3!**"

"**2!**"

"**1!**"

"**START!**"

Team Agares and Team Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth were both teleported into the arena.

* * *

**Seekvaira's Side, Mont Blanc**

* * *

"Seekvaira-sama," Alivian said as he walked up to her side. "Our peerage is prepared to move."

"Hmmm… Mitsuki is on their team. There's a chance they'll be expecting the usual strategy… Alivian, tell our peerage to do a Pincer Maneuver. And Zinogre. I'd like it if you stayed with me," Seekvaira said.

"Of course, Agares-dono," Zin said.

"Well then Issei, how will you deal with this?" Seekvaira's red eyes twinkled.

* * *

**Issei's Side, Monte Rosa**

* * *

Monte Rosa was the second highest peak in the Alps. The sheer size of it being replicated in the Rating Game Setting never ceased to amaze Issei. As he looked out over the Alps, he saw the white caps filled with snow. Clouds hugged the mountains, giving off a massive sea of wispy greys and whites with a sky so blue that it hardly appeared to be real. Issei glanced over to his right and saw the familiar curved spire of the Matterhorn which he had seen so many times in books and movies. He smiled, planning to visit once this was all over with Rossweisse and Irina.

"Sooo, full speed ahead?" Issei asked, glancing at Irina.

"Mii-chan said to do a Blitzkrieg so yeah. Hit hard and fast," Irina said.

"Welp! CHARGE!" Issei spread his energy wings and took off. Everyone glanced at each other before taking off after him. Issei dove down through the clouds, masking himself and his entire peerage inside of them. Above them, shadows dashed over, forcing them to pause.

"They're already moving?" Issei asked.

"Issei! Behind you!" Issei's eyes widened as Rikka appeared in front of him, blocking someone's blade.

"I didn't even sense him…," Issei said as he floated back. Rikka parried his blow and slammed her foot into his stomach, sending him back a little.

The attacker in question was of European descent. His hair was messy like a bird's nest with dark locks that had white tresses mixed in. He wore a white and black tunic with blue accents. His pants were black and the thighs were covered in silver armor. His blue eyes stared intensely at Rikka as she leveled her blade at him, his grip on his own sword never wavered.

"Charles," Mitsuki said as she formed energy blades on her hand.

"Tsuki…," Charles said as he leveled a beautiful golden sword at them.

"Joyeuse!" Vasco gasped.

Several figures dropped into the clouds around them. Mitsuki narrowed her eyes as four figures surrounded them. A pair of twins and a man and a woman. She recognized the twins immediately. Castor and Pollux. Twin daughters of Demeter. Unlike her and Issei, Castor and Pollux were same-sex twins, meaning they were both female. Castor and Pollux were a year younger than Mitsuki if she remembered correctly. The twins were nearly impossible to tell apart, both possessing orange hair and blue eyes however, the most glaring difference was their bust size. Pollux had larger breasts while Castor's were smaller which often sparked a fight between the twins.

The woman on their right was Kagari Madobe. She was Seekvaira's best friend in everything that involved robots and tech. She had snow-white hair that reminded her of a certain Lucifer and sparkling blue eyes. She wore a white sweater with a blue vest and a navy blue skirt. Floating rail guns were on standby next to her as she pointed their sights on them.

The man on their left was Sirius Alexander. He was easily the oldest of the five that had ambushed them if everyone had to guess. He had blonde hair and hazel eyes and wore a red headband. He lacked a shirt, showing off his muscular physique complete with a six-pack. He wore brown baggy pants hidden by a tattered red cloak. On his arms were white bandages that served as armguards.

"Mii-san," Kagari said as she floated. "I didn't think we'd be facing each other in the Semifinals."

"Seems like fate that we would fight here today… I'm curious Seekvaira-sama isn't performing the usual game-winning strategy," Mitsuki said.

"Lady Seekvaira has foreseen that you would tell them of how she fights, therefore, she has decided to use another maneuver to catch you off-guard," Sirius said.

"That's right. Even if your team is stronger than ours…" Castor said.

"There's no way you can beat us in a battle of wits," Pollux answered.

"...," Mitsuki remained silent as she stared at them. She glanced at everyone who nodded.

"Unfortunately for you," Issei said, summoning the **[|Boosted Gear|]**, "We don't intend to let you take any of us out."

Everyone tensed as the air grew heavier with each passing moment. Without warning, Issei dashed towards Sirius, landing a devastating blow to his face. He punched the underside of his chin, sending him upward through the clouds. With that all hell broke loose, Charles rushed Rikka, engaging her in combat.

Their blades clashed, causing sparks to fly as they flickered in and out of sight around them. Mica and Tohka were engaged by the twins. Ingvild summoned water serpents and attacked Kagari while turning to Vasco, Irina, and Bova.

"GO HELP ISSEI!" she yelled as she deflected a pixelated energy blast from Kagari.

The three nodded and broke through the clouds to see Issei and Mitsuki fighting against three people. The first opponent that they fought was a woman with short brown hair. She had lightning arcing off her body as she fired lightning bolt after lightning bolt at Issei.

Issei dodged as the lightning bolt flew past him, destroying the peak of a nearby mountain. Issei's eyes widened as he blocked Sirius, whose fist was encased in a white and red glow.

Their eyes traveled to a man with short red hair and red eyes. He had a beret style cap on and a white and red checkered coat with a book in his hands. He smiled as he summoned a massive ball of fire and threw it at them.

Vasco reacted quickly, summoning Durandal II to slice the flaming sphere in half.

Irina raised her hand and summoned several dozen light rings and threw them at the mage. The mage raised his hand and a red barrier enveloped him, blocking all her attacks.

"Tch!" Irina said.

"Irina," Risa said as she summoned her katana.

"Eh?" Irina glanced at her.

"Go help Issei," Risa said as she disappeared in a flash of orange light.

Sirius grinned as he blocked a blow from Issei. Fighting against the Red Dragon Emperor had been one of his dreams for the tournament and here he was. He slammed his fist into Issei's torso, sending him back a few feet.

Issei gripped his side.

**(That's going to bruise…)** Mastema said as she hovered next to Issei.

"_Shut up! Trying to concentrate here!"_ Issei said as he rushed back in.

"ISSEI!" Issei looked and saw Risa bulleting towards him. He flew out of the way just in time to see Sirius get kicked through a mountain by her. She hovered in front of him.

"GO! GO PLOW YOUR WAY TO SEEKVAIRA!" Risa said as she sliced one of the lightning bolts in half.

Irina flew up to Issei and hovered. "Let's go."

"Watch out for Ariana!" Issei yelled.

Risa nodded as Vasco engaged the girl in hand to hand combat.

Issei and Irina glanced at each other before jetting towards Seekvaira Agares. Risa smiled as she stood back to back with Mitsuki.

"Fighting against my own peerage members outside of training… never thought that would ever happen until I reached high class," Mitsuki said as she held her arms up, coated in violet energy.

"Just because we're on different teams doesn't mean you should hold back, Mitsuki," Sirius said as he flew over to her front.

"That's right," the red-headed mage said.

"Easy for you to say, Xavier," Mitsuki said, glancing over her shoulder.

"It is," Xavier said, smiling.

"Always a prick… hey Risa, wanna switch?" Mitsuki asked.

"Sure," Risa grinned as the two shot past each other towards their desired opponent.

* * *

Issei and Irina sped through the clouds, scanning for any sign of Seekvaira, Zin, or Alivian. The peaks of the Alps became blurs of greys and whites as they flew at top speed.

"This is a big map," Issei muttered, scanning every peak that they passed.

"How did they find us so fast?" Irina asked.

"They must have used Zin's Master-Familiar contract to find me and relayed through a multi-channel CC… hehe," Issei said.

"If she can use the contract to find you, can't you trace Zin through the contract as well?" Irina asked.

"Wait… that's genius why didn't I just think of that?" Issei said, slapping his forehead.

**|You are the epitome of strategic brilliance, hatchling|** Tiamat sighed inside his head.

Issei forced energy into his right hand where a dragon gate symbol with Zin's dragon form appeared. He closed his eyes and searched for her through their contracted connection.

* * *

Zin opened her eyes as she looked ahead. Seekvaira, noticing the change in the air, looked over to her.

"He's using the contract to find me," Zin said.

"Like how we found him," Alivian deduced as he crossed his arms.

"Be ready. Even if it's a three on two, Issei is a very powerful fighter. Stick together and don't give him any room to breathe," Seekvaira said.

* * *

Issei opened his eyes as soon as he locked onto Zin's signature. Without warning, Issei made a sharp turn to the right, catching Irina off-guard. She flapped her wings, creating a sonic boom as she sped behind Issei.

"Did you find them?" Irina asked.

"Yeah, they're this way," Issei said as he increased his speed. Irina sighed and activated her Knight Speed that she gained from the Queen Piece to follow after him.

* * *

Ingvild coated Rikka's blade in water as she dashed towards Charles. Charles poured magic into Joyeuse, bringing it up and blocking Rikka's blade. She gritted her teeth as she began forcing him back.

Charles narrowed his eyes, shifting his weight and pushing back.

Ingvild formed a massive magic circle above her head and prepared to fire when Kagari fired a blue laser at her. Ingvild reacted quickly, erecting a barrier that deflected the laser.

"Focus on our fight," Kagari said as she fired a series of magic missiles at Ingvild. Ingvild's eyes widened as she summoned several magic circles that fired several blasts of energy. The blasts collided shaking the area as the clouds were swept away by the shockwave.

Above them, the Tyndari Twins fought Mica and Tohka. Castor vaulted over her sister as she kicked Mica in the chest, sending him crashing into Tohka.

"Their synchronization," Tohka said as she gently pushed Mica off her.

"Ours is better. We're the ultimate tag team after all," he said, grinning. His fang glinted in the light. Tohka smiled as she held her arm out.

"**Partial Deployment: Code Ketus: Dawn Cannon!**" the pauldron of Tohka's black armor shifted as a cannon encased her right arm. A beam of red energy shot forth from it, forcing the twins apart.

Mica appeared in front of Castor, landing a kick on her arm. An audible snap was heard as Castor screamed in agony. She gripped her broken left arm as she glared at Mica.

"DICK!" she yelled. Green magic circles appeared behind her as vines shot from them towards Mica. Mica stiffened as he used Great Moonlight Blade to slice the vines apart. He poured energy into the MagiTech tomahawk and swung it, creating an arc of energy. A red barrier covered her, deflecting the blast. Mica glanced up and saw a red haired boy sending them a thumbs up before dodging a swipe from Bova.

"Always at the last moment, Sirius," Castor said as she clutched her arm.

"**Pawn of Seekvaira Agares has been defeated!**"

Castor's eyes widened at the announcement as she turned around to see her sister dissolving into red lights. Tohka was behind her, dagger drawn.

"POLLUX! YOU BASTARDS! **Promotion: Queen!**" Castor announced.

"Shit," Mica said.

"Can we promote?" Tohka asked.

"No… if these pieces work like actual chess then we need to be in enemy territory!" Tohka said.

"Shit…" Mica dodged as Castor shot past him with a kick.

"Mica!" Tohka flew up to him, blocking another attempted kick from Castor.

"Stronger too," Tohka said as she held back her kick.

"Tch! You eliminated my sister!" Castor yelled.

"It's just a game!" Mica protested.

"The phrase 'It's just a game' is such a weak mindset!" Castor roared as she threw Tohka back. She rushed towards Mica, using her good arm to try and land a blow on his neck. Mica dodged and moved out of the way before moving in and planting his knee into her stomach.

Castor coughed as she flew back.

"TCH! AAAHHHHHHH!" Castor roared.

"Watch out!"

Tohka and Mica looked up and saw Mitsuki heading for them. The two frantically moved as Mitsuki shot past them. She formed an energy blade in her hand and disappeared in a burst of speed.

Castor's eyes widened as she felt pain in her torso. She looked down and saw a cut forming on her abdomen. Looking behind her, the mountain peak was gone as Mitsuki stood there with her hand out, a blade made of energy around it.

"Sorry Cassie," Mitsuki said, turning around.

"Tch, you got lucky, Moon Bitch…," Castor said as she lost consciousness and disappeared in a sparkle of lights.

"**What a stunning offensive front! Team Midnight has eliminated two pieces from Team Agares and has yet to lose any of their own! Could we be looking at a possible mismatch!?**" Naud announced.

"Mismatch?" Mitsuki muttered. She glanced up and saw Bova crash into a mountain peak, courtesy of a punch from Sirius.

* * *

Issei and Irina slowed down when they felt a massive wave of power coming from a nearby peak. The two looked at each other before heading towards it and landing. Irina looked around, seeing no one in the area. She summoned Hauteclere from her pocket storage and gripped it tightly as she and Issei made their way across the mountain top.

"See anything?" Irina asked.

"No, I don't see any-!" Every hair on Issei's neck stood on end as he jumped back as red lightning crashed in front of him. Irina slid back from the sheer force of the impact, sliding into a boulder. The two looked with wide-eyes when they saw Alivian and Zin walking out from the small crater.

"Issei-sama," Zin said as she stopped, her red eyes staring at him.

"Zin," Issei said as he dropped into a stance.

"Oya! We are the last barrier to Seekvaira-sama, Red Dragon-san," Alivian said.

"So she's not coming to fight us herself?" Issei asked.

"No," Alivian said, his nails extending into claws.

"Issei…," Irina said, spreading her wings.

"You read my mind just right," Issei said, folding his hands in a volley position. Zin and Alivian looked confused until Irina hopped on Issei's hand and he threw her at speeds faster than they could track.

Alivian's eyes widened as his vision was filled with Irina's knee. The angel kicked Alivian off the peak before dodging a tail swipe from Zin. She swung Hauteclere, parrying Zin's tail as she flipped backward.

Zin had no time to breathe as Issei began sending a flurry of kicks and punches in his **[|Balance Breaker|]**.

Zin grunted as she deflected Issei's blows. She infused red lightning into her fist. She appeared in front of Issei in the blink of an eye, who was caught off-guard by her speed and was sent flying through a rock with a lightning enhanced blow.

She appeared behind him and kicked upwards, sending Issei into the sky.

"_Damnit! Gonna have to use it!_" Issei said as several black and red balls appeared behind him.

"**Megiddo Rain!**" Issei called out as the balls sped towards Zin. Zin weaved her way through the onslaught, wincing as one of the PoD balls hit her on the shoulder.

**[|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|]**

Issei boosted twenty times before meeting Zin's fist with his own.

Irina and Alivian, who were locked in combat with each other, were forced to stop as an explosion rocked the entire arena. The two turned to see a massive cloud of smoke with red lightning arcing through the clouds. Zin burst through the clouds, shielding herself against a red laser.

"UAAAGGHHH!" Zin deflected the laser and returned fire with a massive bolt of lightning. The lightning pierced through the clouds, easily destroying the series of mountains behind it.

Issei appeared behind Zin and punched the back of her head, sending her plummeting through the clouds.

"Time to finish this!" Issei said.

**[|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] **

Issei boosted several dozen times as an orange magic circle appeared in front of him.

"Sorry Zin but I need you to eat shit right now!" A massive flaming sphere formed above Issei.

"Fire? Against a dragon?" Zin said as the clouds parted. She was in her draconic form, her spikes extended and conducting so much electricity, she put the entire power grid of the United States to shame. "That's really stupid!" she said as she unlatched her jaw. A massive red ball of electricity formed.

"Tch…," Issei said. _Mastema… this new trick better work!_ Issei prayed as he aimed the sphere at her.

**[Could have used my flames]** Ddraig said.

"Not now Ddraig. **Eat shit!**" Issei fired the torrent of flames at her while Zin returned fire. Alivian and Irina were forced to surround themselves with a barrier as the heat battered the entire area.

Lightning vs Fire. Two destructive forces of nature clashed for supremacy as neither fighter gave up. Issei roared as he tried to push against Zin's lightning beam which was slowly beating his flames out.

**[Wanna add mine into the mix?]** Ddraig asked.

"I need to do DxD G or Pseudo DxD and I can't access it anymore remember!" Issei reasoned.

**|How about mine?|** Tiamat asked.

"_Really? You can?_" Issei asked.

**|Of course!|** Tiamat said.

**|Welsh Booster Shift: Calamity Booster!|**

The gem on Issei's gauntlets and chest shifted to blue.

**(Add the Power of Destruction to both flames. I can guarantee that you'll be able to overpower her.) **Mastema advised.

Issei nodded inwardly as blue flames poured from the gems on his armor. Black and red energy formed in Issei's hands and he focused them towards the hellfire he was sending towards Zin. The two flames merged with the Power of Destruction creating a violent torrent of pure destructive energy.

"WHAT?" Zin yelled as her beam was being overpowered by Issei's new attack.

"HOOOAAAAAGHHHHH!" Issei roared.

"UUUUWAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHHH!" Zin howled as her attack was overpowered and her entire body was swallowed in Issei's blast. The entire arena erupted in a flash of white light as the barriers struggled to hold the blast in.

When the light died down, Zin was nowhere to be seen but Issei could feel her through their contract.

"**Outstanding! Another piece of Seekvaira Agares has been defeated! This time her Knight!**" Naud announced.

"Issei go! I'll take care of Alivian!" Irina said as she took advantage of the Agares Queen's distracted state. She kicked him into the side of the mountain, causing an avalanche to begin.

Issei nodded and jetted towards another peak in search of Seekvaira.

"Where could she be?" Issei muttered.

**(You know… you can try to feel for her demonic energy)** Mastema said, keeping up with Issei effortlessly.

"She's supressing it…," Issei said.

**(You know this turned from Blitzkrieg to cutting the head of the snake)** Mastema said.

"_Shush you!_" Issei said as Mastema pouted.

**|How do you intend to find her?|** Tiamat asked.

"Blow up every mountain top?" Issei guessed as a red sphere formed above his head.

**[|Welsh Scatter Bullet!|]**

Issei's surroundings were destroyed as the bullets smashed into the mountain tops.

Seekvaira shook as she hid behind one of the mountains and saw it collapsing over her. She was forced to fly out and dove beneath the clouds for cover. Seekvaira gritted her teeth.

_There's no way I can survive a direct confrontation with Issei. It might as well be a checkmate… wait, I can use that new technique I was saving for the finals but this might be a better time than ever…_, Seeikvaira thought as she spotted Issei through the clouds.

"Time to execute Operation: Emerald Javelin…," Seekvaira said as two magic circles formed next to her. Five small green orbs were formed next to her. She raised her hand, waiting for a few seconds to make sure Issei didn't notice her and threw her hand forward.

_Go my children!_ Seekvaira said as one of the orbs shot forth and sped to Issei.

Issei sensed a high concentration of demonic energy coming for him. He quickly turned to attack it but dodged immediately seeing that it was a green energy orb.

"Now that's distracting!" Issei said. Several green bullets homed in on Issei, forcing him to dodge them as they kept coming back. Growling, Issei called upon Tiamat's power and released a burst of dense flames that consumed the orbs.

"And that's just annoyingly distracting!" Issei said.

"HAAA!" Issei turned to see Seekvaira planting an armored foot in his face. Issei flew to a nearby mountain top and crashed through it. He caught himself in midair and saw a hail of magical bullets heading for him.

"Shit!" Issei flew through them, dodging every one until he saw Seekvaira with a robot guardian next to her. She snapped her fingers and the automaton met Issei halfway, engaging him in hand to hand combat.

"Issei! Can you fight me if I do this?" Seekvaira said, firing several magic missiles at him. Issei growled and shoved the robot in front of him as a shield. Issei's eyes widened as pain shot through his body. He looked up and saw Seekvaira's Automaton had its fist embedded in Issei's stomach.

"Tch! Cheeky robot!" Issei said, shoving his fist through its chest. He pulled his fist out and kicked it to Seekvaira, who hovered there. Issei could not afford a drawn out battle. That fight with Zinogre took a lot of energy out of him and as of right now, he was being careful not to show signs of fatigue in front of the Agares Heiress.

Seekvaira's Automaton floated next to her, slowly regenerating from Issei's attack.

"So it can heal?" Issei said as he observed the robot.

"Like it? I developed it after watching a certain show about muscular men," Seekvaira said.

"...," Issei remained silent as he gauged her.

He straightened himself and flew towards her.

"Oh… you're coming straight for me?" Seekvaira said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, I can't retire you without getting closer!" Issei yelled as he rushed towards Seekvaira.

* * *

Irina parried a blow from Alivian as the draconic maid shifted into his draconic form. Irina backed away as the once handsome Queen had transformed into a monstrous reptilian demon. Alivian's Dragon Form was smaller than what she had seen during the war but the aura that flowed off was no less imposing. HIs scales were glistening in the false sun, shining a bright orange-red. His eyes flickered like embers as they gazed upon her. His maw possessed rows upon rows of teeth that she could only compare to the sharpest quality blades in a weapon's store. His wings extended outward, dwarfing the wingspan of a small plane while his tail swished behind him. Irina's eyes widened as his light brown underbelly began to glow as an orange light traveled up his throat.

Alivian roared and opened his mouth, unleashing a steady stream of fire towards her. Irina dodged and flew away as Alivian turned his mouth, following her. Irina's violet eyes stared at Alivian as she formed a light disk in one hand and threw it at him. The light disk impacted Alivian on the side, stopping the flames.

"His scales will be a bitch to deal with," Irina said. Irina observed Alivian as he observed her, neither fighter giving ground. Suddenly, Irina disappeared in a burst of speed, catching Alivian off guard. He turned to see Irina behind him with Hauteclere bathed in white light. She slashed him, cutting into his scales as he cried out. She smirked. Even as a dragon, his Devil physiology made him susceptible to light. Irina flipped as Alivian swung a paw at her.

She held up her arms, anticipating his next attack and blocked it. Alivian howled in pain as he pulled back his burned hand.

"I am taught and trained by the Archangel Raphael! Don't think for a second that I won't be able to fight a dragon!" Irina said as her arms were coated in white light.

"Tch!" Alivian growled. _I have to win for Seekvaira-sama!_

_Issei! I have to win for Issei! I failed him during our battle against Thor! I will not fail again!_ Irina thought.

Irina leveled Hauteclere at Alivian and charged at him. Alivian flew towards Irina, coating his talons in fire as he raised them towards her.

The two met swinging their weapons, shooting past each other.

Irina sheathed Hauteclere and floated on the other side, her torso having three slash marks that were bleeding.

Alivian had a gash on his chest that was filled with light. Blood poured from the wound as he slowly lost altitude. Eventually, he dipped and fell through the clouds as his body dissolved in red lights.

"**Queen of Seekvaira Agares has been defeated!**" Naud announced.

"Up to you now, Issei," Irina said as she placed her hand on her side.

* * *

"HAAA!" Seekvaira raised her arm and threw it down, sending her automaton towards Issei. Issei panted as he met to counter the Automaton's blows. He was getting tired. He needed to end this fast.

"**Deep Crimson Spiral!**" Issei formed a swirling orb of destruction and slammed it into the automaton. The automaton staggered as Issei sped past it and headed for Seekvaira. He summoned golden flames to his fist as he neared her.

Seekvaira floated back as a grin appeared on her face. As Issei was about to land the finishing blow, she uttered one word.

"Checkmate."

A pulsing energy exploded from her, wrapping the area around them for 200 meters in a distorted bubble. Issei's entire body was frozen and in greyscale as Seekvaira and her automaton floated around him.

"Time has stopped Issei. Only I can move in this time-stopped world. Unfortunately, I can only maintain this for nine seconds. Let's end this shall we?" Seekvaira said as she motioned for her Automaton.

**(This is bad…)** Mastema said. She sighed as her eyes glowed red. **(You better thank me… Issei.)**

As the automaton sent a punch towards him, Issei's eyes glowed slightly red and color returned to his body. He instantly countered the automaton before kicking it away. His eyes returned to their normal color as Mastema flooded his mind with information.

"You can stop Time?" Issei said.

"H- HOW!?" Seekvaira said. "HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO MOVE!?"

Issei remained silent.

"_What did you do?_" Issei asked.

**(I helped… you. More tricks if you will…)** Mastema said cryptically.

"ANSWER ME!" Seekvaira said.

"Because… I'm the damn Oppai Dragon!" Issei said as he dashed towards her.

Seekvaira gnashed her teeth together. "EVEN STILL, BREAKING FROM MY TIME GRIP SHOULD BE STAMINA CONSUMING! THIS IS THE END ISSEI!"

Seekvaira sent her automaton towards Issei in order to eliminate him.

Issei narrowed his eyes. He was on his last dregs. Whatever Mastema made him do took too much energy. He needed to make this count. As Seekvaira's automaton threw a punch towards him, Issei's eyes widened.

_I can't use an attack or I'll spend the rest of my energy!_ Issei thought. Reacting quickly, Issei held his arms in a cross formation and took the attack. Pushing back with all his strength, Issei parried the blow before performing an overhead kick on its head. The automaton staggered a bit before being pushed down as Issei used its back as a platform to launch himself.

Seekvaira's eyes widened as Issei coated his fist in the Power of Destruction and Golden Flames and shot past her.

"Checkmate," Issei said.

He straightened himself as an explosion of energy similar to that of a brilliant eruption that occurred behind him.

"**Seekvaira Agares has been eliminated! VICTORY GOES TO TEAM MIDNIGHT DRAGON EMPEROR OF BLAZING TRUTH!**" Naud announced.

Issei sighed as he sat down in mid-air. He spotted Irina flying towards him and she tackled him and planted her lips on his.

"What was that for?" Issei asked as he pulled away.

"Victory kiss!" Irina smiled as she and Issei dissolved in a shower of lights.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

* * *

"Did you find it?" Gremory asked as she sat in a chair. In front of her was a naked man. His body was littered in cuts and bruises. There were burns on his leg and a brand with the Gremory insignia located on his left buttock. Around his neck was a leash with a tag that said Daniel E. on it. She sighed as she formed a violet blade with her fingers.

"Where is the gun?" Gremory asked as she ran her finger across his skin. The man howled in agony as Gremory kicked him. He fell to the floor as Gremory planted her foot on his chest. "I won't ask again Daniel."

"IN A SAFE UNDERNEATH THE FLOORBOARDS!" he yelled as Gremory dug her finger into one of his wounds. She smiled and grabbed his face, bringing it close to hers.

"Good boy~," she said, licking his cheek. She dropped him and tugged on the leash. He whimpered as he began kissing her feet. Sitri walked out of his office with a busted safe in his right arm.

"Got it!" Sitri said.

"How much ammo?" Gremory asked as she kicked Daniel's face, breaking his jaw and caving his skull.

"Four and did you really have to kill the guy?" Sitri asked.

"He got too boring. I don't like it when my toys get boring," Gremory said, stepping on the remains of Daniel's skull.

"Let's go," Sitri said as he and Gremory disappeared in a funnel of black smoke.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**leader. dbz: Thank you! I had a great time writing that chapter to include all those scenes!**

**AnimeFan0216: Hehe! Issei will do that more in the coming chapters. More deja vu moments with him and the Archangels that is!**

**Scrumblenut: Thank you! If you do have a question, let me know!**

**Rhongomyniad: Hmmm, favorite ice cream? Let's see... **

**Issei and Mitsuki's is Mint Chip and their favorite dessert is ice cream.**

**Irina's is Vanilla. Her favorite dessert is cake.**

**Asia's is Strawberry. Her favorite dessert is cheesecake.**

**Rias's is Neapolitan. Her favorite dessert is cake.**

**Koneko's is chocolate. Her favorite dessert is cookies.**

**Akeno's favorite flavor is orange sherbert. Her favorite dessert is chocolate mousse.**

**Kiba's favorite flavor is Vanilla and his favorite dessert is Apple Pie.**

**Xenovia's favorite flavor is mango and her favorite dessert is strawberry parfait.**

**Lily's favorite ice cream flavor is cookies and cream and her favorite dessert is ice cream like her older siblings except Asia.**

**Rikka's favorite flavor is Rocky Road and her favorite dessert is pumpkin pie. She, Ingvild, and Kiba often discuss different flavors of pie.**

**Ingvild's favorite flavor is Neapolitan which makes her Rias's ice cream buddy and her favorite dessert is cherry pie.**

**And there you have it, the Hyoudou House's favorite ice cream flavors and desserts. I didn't add characters that don't live their or only have minor appearances.**

* * *

**Oh my god, I'm sorry for the late update guys! I was busy all week with online papers and exams that I barely had any time to write this chapter but luckily I got it up. We're still on schedule! Next two chapters, I figure we take a break from Issei and focus on how Rias and her little group are doing! Hehe! Also, I'd like to say a word! My good friend and senpai, Tohka Yatogami, has just published her reboot of Legend of the Heavenly Dragons and Date A Live: Altered Timeline! Please check her out and give her all your support as without her, I would not be here with Til Midnight. She's one of my great inspirations for publishing this fic so please read hers. Remember, review! And remember to have a great day/night in Quarantine, the choice is yours~!**


	21. The Power of Sight

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Gremory Manor, December 4, 2019, 8:20 AM**

* * *

Rias slid back, falling to one knee. Her eyes flickered before losing their glow and returning to their blue color. It had been a week since she had awakened her Power of Sight. A week since Issei had returned home to them. A week since her peerage (female members) had all gone their separate ways for training. For introspection. While Rias was _slowly_ beginning to accept the fact that Issei was never going to come back to her, the others hadn't. Of her female members, only Rossweisse ever had a chance with Issei now. But that's not what she was worried about.

"Akeno… Koneko," Risa muttered.

"RIAS! STAND!"

She looked up and saw the eyes of her brother Sirzechs. One week. One week since she had asked her brother to train her. One week since Sirzechs had begun his torturous training. One week since she had begun to learn hand to hand combat. Of course, this was only the basics of the Gremory Style. After all, it's full utilization relied on the analytically predictive powers of the Power of Sight. A power her brother did not inherit.

Rias shakily stood to her feet and dropped into the basic stance. Her eyes began to glow once more. Sirzechs shook his head and sighed.

"Rias."

Rias turned and saw her father, Zeoticus, and her mother, Venelana, calmly sipping tea.

"You shouldn't overly rely on your eyes. The Gremory Style is all about precision and flow, turning your opponent's moves against them. And your foot is off by three degrees," Zeoticus said.

Rias nodded and readjusted her foot as well as deactivating her Sight.

"Again," Zeoticus said.

Rias channeled miasma to her legs and was about to move when her father spoke.

"No Miasma. The whole point of this is to train your body. After this match, I will apply gravity bands to you," Zeoticus said.

Rias groaned and stopped channeling. She took off, running towards her brother. Sirzechs, having centuries of experience, easily blocked and countered her punches and kicks.

"You're going to have to do better than… that!" Sirzechs caught her leg and threw her, sending Rias a few feet away. Rias righted herself in mid-air and landed, panting. She placed her hands on her knees as she bent over to catch her breath.

"It seems that we have to work on your stamina. While you're capable of firing off spell after spell, your physical stamina when it comes to close combat leaves much to be desired. We'll work on that as well," Sirzechs said as he straightened himself.

Rias gave him a thumbs up before sitting down on the ground.

"You're getting better," Sirzechs said, offering her a towel.

"Thanks, Onii-sama," Rias graciously accepted the towel and began to wipe the sweat off her forehead.

"No really. It's only been one week since you started and you have the basic stance down for the most part," Sirzechs said as he sat next to her.

"My Eye training will be with father right?" Rias asked.

"That's right," Zeoticus walked over to them with two glasses of mango juice in his hands. Sirzechs and Rias took them and began to drink.

"Ne, Otou-sama, what do you think my Eye's unique power will be?" Rias asked as she finished gulping down the last of her juice.

Zeoticus placed a hand on his chin and stroked his beard. "Hmmm, that's hard to say. It's different for everyone. And besides… you still have to train it. The Power of Sight has two stages in its maturation process. Your older sister… achieved the Final Stage within weeks of attaining it. Once your eyes fully mature and reach the Final Stage, you'll know what your Unique Power is."

"What's yours?" Rias asked. "I've never seen the Power of Sight in action before since I never really had to train in it."

"Still have enough energy for an attack? Any will do," Zeoticus said.

Rias nodded and got to her feet.

"Now, I want you to fire a basic spell at me. I don't care if it's elemental or your Power of Destruction. I just want you to hit me with magic," Zeoticus said as he backed up a few feet.

Rias nodded and created a red magic circle, firing a bolt of lightning at him.

At that moment, Zeoticus's irises turned red and a bladed cross spun out, unfurling from the center of its pupils like a saw with retractable blades. His eyes focused on Rias's spells as he held his hand up. Rias watched with fascination as the spell froze in front of her father's outstretched hand and was seemingly sucked into it.

"You can absorb…," Rias asked.

"In a sense. My Eye's unique power is called the Swirl of Gluttony which I named after one of the powers utilized by the Original Beelzebub which was the Crown of Gluttony in addition to his more famous Lord of the Flies. It allows me to absorb spells too either add to my magical reserves or redirect back at my foe," Zeoticus said, raising his hand into the air and releasing the same bolt of lightning Rias fired at him towards the sky.

"That sounds… incredibly powerful, Otou-sama!" Rias praised, beginning to wonder what her own powers might be.

"It does have it's drawbacks. I can't absorb spells that I can't focus on. Spells like charms that buff the user are things I can't absorb either. They all have to be a projectile-based, barrier, or a wide-ranged AoE spell," Zeoticus said.

"So a healing spell would be unaffected by your Eye's abilities?" Rias asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"What Eye power did Onee-sama have?" Rias asked.

Zeoticus stiffened at the mention of the word, Onee-sama. He looked down for a moment before smiling.

"Your sister… had a power she labeled Fata Morgana. It allowed her to create extremely hyper-realistic illusions that were capable of inflicting physical damage to its targets in addition to mental trauma. Her skill with it was so great that she can cover an area of 50 meters around her in an illusory bubble," Zeoticus said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Rias smiled and nodded. "What was she like?"

Zeoticus's eyes dimmed at the question as his face dropped before he quickly masked his sadness with a smile.

"Your sister was a great woman who accomplished many things, Rias," Zeoticus said as he walked inside.

Rias nodded, unsatisfied by his answer before standing up to go and follow him.

* * *

Rias munched on a cookie as she sat in the training fields underneath Hyoudou Manor with her peerage. Their training for the Azazel Cup was progressing as smoothly as her training to master her eyes were. And by that, she meant that they were making more progress than she did. For now, most of their efforts were focused on getting the boys up to speed.

Eren had no problems with the sudden increase in his pace of training. Rias knew that the boy was receiving some on the side from his older sister, Natalia Yatogami, and their father, Ajuka Beelzebub. In addition, the Purgatory Blossom was more than just some run-of-the-mill High Tier Elemental Sacred Gear. No, this Gear, as Michael affirmed, was a Longinus. The 14th Longinus to be exact. Rias couldn't believe her luck. While Eren declined to become a member because he was already a devil and the heir apparent to House Naamah, he still joined the team for the Azazel Cup and having a Longinus User made Rias feel at ease.

Tatsuya, as Rias noticed lately, seemed to have an increased drive. Training his Sacred Gear to the max. His ability to manipulate both Ice and Fire would be devastating on the field, allowing him to counteract both fire and ice mages as well as providing support in the form of barriers and long-distance attacks. Or course, outside of training, there were some things that Tatsuya did that annoyed her. While he seemingly understood and accepted that whatever relationship they had prior was all due to the manipulations and control of Yatogami-sensei, the man did not know the meaning of personal space nor did he give up.

It was something both she and Akeno were growing tired of as in his own words, he said, "Then, that means I'll just have to work to make it real. After all, our meetings were fate."

"Rias-sama."

Rias snapped out of her stupor and looked up to see Koneko in front of her.

"What is it?" Rias asked.

"Hiruko broke his arm. I need you to heal him since Asia is…," Koneko trailed off as she glanced over to the nun. Rias followed her gaze as they saw Asia training with Eren.

Their side of the field had practically become a garden that was constantly destroyed and created over and over again. Asia wasn't lying when she said that she wasn't going to be weak anymore. The girl was unleashing several blasts of elemental magic to batter Eren's Wooden barriers.

"Fine, I'll apply healing magic," Rias sighed as she stood.

The two walked over to where Hiruko was clutching his arm.

"How are things between you, Ravel, and him since you know?" Rias asked as she summoned a first-aid kit.

"I think he understands that KFC and I can't be together with him. We sat him down and explained everything. At first, he was confused but… I think he got it. So far, he's been respectful of us and our space," Koneko said.

"Hmm, at least your guy gets it," Rias said as they neared him. She kneeled and inspected his arm. Hiruko winced in pain as Rias placed her hand on it.

"Ow… I think she did more than just fracture it," Hiruko said.

"Hmm… I don't have x-ray eyes but I know this will take more than a healing session. Koneko, go get me some Phenex tears," Rias ordered. She nodded and ran out of the training area to go find some.

"Hey… how are you holding up?" Rias asked as she inspected his arm. She was no expert in medicine but being around the people in her peerage had taught her a few things in how to treat wounds.

"I'm good or I will be once I take those Phenex Tears," Hiruko said, flinching after Rias placed a finger on a certain spot.

"I'm guessing this is where she hit you," Rias said.

"Yeah, never should have asked her to go all out," Hiruko said. Rias nodded as she applied a splint.

"Really… I thought you would all know your limits by now," Rias said.

"Hehe… sorry about that. It's just that Tatsuya's pushing us all to get stronger since Eren awakened his Sacred Gear," Hiruko said.

Rias glanced at him and sighed.

"You know you don't have to listen to him right?" Rias said.

"Yeah, but he's stronger than I am so what do I know… and besides, there's something I want to prove," Hiruko said.

"Hmm, well remember, don't push yourself to the point of death. Sometimes taking it at your own pace is how you improve," Rias said.

"Thanks, Rias-senpai," Hiruko smiled in an embarrassed manner, his grey eyes twinkling in understanding at her words.

"Rias-sama, Akeno's here," Koneko said, handing her a vial. Rias nodded and handed it to Hiruko. Hiruko nodded gratefully and took the vial. Rias stood and saw Akeno walking into the training ground with a blank look on her face.

"Akeno…," Rias said, walking over to her.

"I asked Azazel-sama for training so that I can be of help but Penemue-baa-san told me that he was busy with something…," Akeno said.

"Who did you ask then?" Rias asked.

"I asked Tou-san and he readily accepted. Now I'm receiving from Tou-san and Ambriel-hime-sama," Akeno said.

"That's great! The Princess of the Grigori and Baraqiel-sama are Cadre Level Fighters almost on par with Serafall-sama! By the time of the games, you'll be extremely powerful!" Rias said.

A small smile appeared on Akeno's face. She nodded. "Want to spar for old times sake?" Akeno asked.

"Are you sure? I've learned a few tricks while training with Tou-sama and Nii-sama," Rias said as a feral grin appeared on her face.

"In terms of strength, _buchou_, I probably can still contend with you," Akeno said with fake arrogance in her voice. Rias's grin only grew wider as she gestured for them to make their way out into the field. Their auras grew in magnitude, signaling everyone to clear out. Rias shot Asia a look and she nodded.

Asia stood in between Rias and Akeno nervously as her eyes flitted between them. They were sizing each other up like rival predators in the wild when they fight over a mate. Rias dropped into a stance, shocking Akeno a bit.

"Kiba…, Rias seems different don't you think?" Rossweisse asked.

Kiba looked at her and nodded. Hand to Hand combat was never Rias's thing. Seeing her actually fight in close quarters combat would be interesting.

"Oh? Hand to hand? I never took you for the physical type, Buchou," Akeno said.

"Things change…," Rias said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Ready?" Asia looked between the two and raised her hand. "BEGIN!"

Rias wasted no time and channeled magic into her limbs. Shocking her peerage and her opponent, Rias disappeared before Akeno's very eyes in a burst of speed. Caught off-guard by her sudden increase in power, she was barely able to register the fact that her vision was suddenly filled with Rias's fist.

The force of the blow sent Akeno flying through the air. Rias wasted no time and gave her queen no room. She appeared above her and attempted to perform an ax kick, however, Akeno was prepared for this. Using her knight speed, Akeno was able to dodge Rias's kick, gaining some distance between them.

"So you can fight hand to hand now?" Akeno muttered. "Fine… I'll show you what I can do too…"

Akeno summoned forth the holy power that she inherited from her father. Rias stiffened when she saw a golden aura surround her queen as three pairs of black feathered wings grew from her back. Akeno's eyes glowed violet like Irina's as a high pitched screeching noise began to come off her.

Everyone in the room had to shield themselves from the toxic power of Akeno's holy power as she took a step towards her king.

Rias gulped and calmed herself. She closed her eyes and began to control her breathing. She opened them, revealing two glowing irises with a faint floral pattern sitting lazily around her pupil.

Akeno narrowed her eyes. Not taking any chances, she channeled holy lightning into her hand and unleashed it at Rias.

To the others, lightning was incredibly fast, appearing as a near-instantaneous attack to the weaker members and an extremely fast one to the more senior ones. But to Rias, Akeno's attack may as well be as slow as a turtle. Rias lazily moved out of the way, before dashing towards Akeno.

She channeled her Power of Destruction, forming a scarlet magic circle atop her hands. She fired it at Akeno, surprising her. Akeno rolled out of the way and fired another blast of Holy Lightning, following it up with a flame blast.

Rias ducked and countered, sending a volley of weak PoD bullets at Akeno.

Akeno created a large magic barrier to defend herself from Rias's attacks. Her eyes widened when Rias appeared in front of the barrier, her fist coated in the Power of Destruction.

Rias threw her fist down on the barrier, shattering it almost instantly with her magically enhanced strength combined with her Power of Destruction. Taking advantage of Akeno's distracted face, Rias grabbed her and slammed her knee into her Queen's solar plexus.

Akeno flew and slid across the training floor. She shakily got to her feet, using her hands to support her as she tried to get up. Her eyes widened as she felt some bile rising to her throat. The pain she felt in her abdominal area was horrid. Who knew that Rias could punch so hard.

"When did you learn to hit like that?" Akeno groaned as she stumbled a bit.

"A few days ago from Nii-sama… though judging from how you're reacting, I still haven't perfected it," Rias said, clenching her fists.

"Haven't perfected? I think I sprained a few ribs from that blow…," Akeno said.

"It wasn't meant too… my horridly large reserves of power make it hard, even with the Gremory affinity for magic to control fine-tune my control for this," Rias said.

"Well… we're not done," Akeno said, snapping her fingers. Several spears made of golden lightning appeared, hovering in a halo behind her.

Rias's eyes widened as she jumped back to avoid being skewered. She gritted her teeth as she dodged another lightning bolt. She was jealous of her father… his eyes were fully developed while hers were barely in the stages of enhanced perception.

"Tch! HAAH!" Rias formed two large PoD Spheres and used them to bat away Akeno's lightning. Rias threw them at her Queen, dashing after her spheres for a pincer attack.

Akeno threw her hand forward, creating a barrier that shattered but deflected Rias's attacks. Her eyes widened as she barely dodged Rias's foot by a hair's breadth. Rias spun around, sweeping Akeno's feet out from under.

Akeno fell to the ground and quickly rolled out of the way as Rias's fist impacted the floor, sending spider-web cracks everywhere.

Akeno felt a bead of sweat trickle down her forehead.

"That blow would have knocked me out instantly alongside a concussion," Akeno said.

Rias stood up and smirked. She made the come at me gesture to Akeno which served to tick her Queen off. Akeno growled as she formed a lightning javelin and threw it at Rias.

As Rias was about to dodge, she found herself glued to the floor. She looked down and saw her feet were encased in ice. She had no choice but to block erecting a red barrier in front of her. Her eyes widened when Akeno appeared in front of her barrier, firing a massive blast of lightning at Rias.

Time slowed down for her as her eyes began to throb and pulse. The blue glow grew more intense as Rias immediately moved out of the way. Akeno was still in slow motion for her so she took advantage of this, jabbing Akeno's already injured torso, sending her Queen sprawling onto the floor. The glow slowly subsided as Rias looked at Akeno, panting.

A sharp pain shot through her skull, causing her to scream as she fell to her knees.

"RIAS!" Akeno, despite the immense pain in her side, ran over to her.

"MY EYES!" Rias screamed as she gripped the sides of her head. Asia and the others ran over to help when they saw it. Rias was bleeding from her eyes.

"AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" she screamed as tears of blood steadily poured from her eye sockets.

"Call Sirzechs-sama! Or someone from the Gremory Family!" Akeno barked as she motioned for Asia to apply healing magic to her head.

Within minutes of the call, Zeoticus had arrived and began to check on Rias. Asia's **[Twilight Healing]** had done nothing to help with Rias's pain as there was no wound to heal. Zeoticus knelt next to his whimpering daughter as he gently stroked her hair.

"Rias…," Zeoticus said.

"Daddy… it hurts. My eyes hurt…," Rias meekly said as she leaned into her father's comforting touch. She turned to him, her eyes still closed with dried blood trails that covered her face.

"What were you all doing when this happened?" Zeoticus asked.

"We were training. Rias-sama and I were sparring when she suddenly started screaming and bleeding from her eyes!" Akeno said.

"Hmmm… she must have triggered a change," Zeoticus said.

"A change?" Kiba asked, looking at his King.

"Is she going to be alright?" Tatsuya asked.

"Yes, her eyes are just going through a small change. It seems that she's crossing the first threshold to maturity… due to her awakening so late in her life, her body is forcing her eyes to rapidly adapt to her power," Zeoticus said.

"What do her eyes have anything to do with this?" Yuu asked.

"Hey!" Xenovia whispered. "That's Gremory-sama! Rias-sama's father!"

Yuu shut up upon hearing it. Zeoticus ignored his tone and answered his question. "Rias has awakened the Gremory Family Power, the Power of Sight. It's a unique ocular derived from Lucifer-sama's Shevirat Ha-Kelim. Members of our clan awaken it under great emotional trauma or a physical threat to one's life. Venelana and I were surprised that Rias hadn't awakened it sooner. After this, Rias should be fine. If she uses her Sight, she'll be able to notice a clear difference. Her enhanced perception will be further enhanced as well as an enhanced visual perception of energy as well as the ability to analyze non-specific and non-hereditary spells. Essentially, she'll be able to learn magic much faster to the point where she can use any spell she sees with an adept level of skill," he said.

"That's incredible!" Rossweisse gasped.

"Once she's fully mature, she'll have a trait that's unique to her eyes," Zeoticus said.

"What do you think her Eyes' unique trait will be?" Koneko asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question for certain," Zeoticus replied with a sheepish smile. He looked down and brushed a few strands of hair from Rias's face. She was lightly breathing. Zeoticus sighed. She had passed out.

* * *

Rias groaned as she opened her eyes to see… darkness?

"Rias-onee-sama!" she heard Asia's voice from her left.

"Asia…? What happened? Why is it dark?" Rias asked.

"We put these around your eyes… even though Zeoticus-sama told us you would be fine. We just wanted to be sure," Asia said.

"Can I take them off?" Rias asked.

"Of course!" Asia said.

Rias's hands moved around the back of her head where she found the knot and slowly began undoing the wrappings. Rias opened her eyes and noticed that her vision was sharper than normal.

"Rias-Onee-sama," Asia said.

"Hmm?" Rias turned to her.

"Your father said that you were…!" Rias finished Asia's sentence for her.

"Crossing the first threshold into the Second Stage," Rias said.

"Are you alright? Do you still feel any pain?" Asia asked.

"Yeah," Rias smiled at her. "In fact, I feel great!"

A loud growling noise echoed throughout the room causing Asia to giggle.

"And hungry," Rias said, her cheeks turning red.

"Would you like to go and eat now? Okaa-san made her famous curry," Asia said.

Rias nodded and followed her Bishop out of the room.

* * *

"You know you'll get wrinkles if you keep doing that," Akeno said as she watched Rias throw another book at the wall. Rias sighed.

"I don't get this at all Akeno… why are the only mentions of my older sister from history books?" Rias asked as she looked at the ceiling.

"Did you check the family albums?"

The two turned and saw Asia and Kiba walking towards them, holding a stack of books.

"No… and why didn't I think to check there in the first place?" Rias muttered the last part.

"Did devils even have cameras back then?" Akeno asked as she grabbed one.

"If I recall correctly from what Onii-sama told me, they had something similar," Rias said. She took the album from Akeno and opened it.

"Is that?" Kiba peeked over her shoulder.

"I think we grabbed the wrong one," Koneko said.

"Yeah," Rias closed the book immediately and placed it behind her. A baby picture of her peeing her bed? No thank you.

"How about these? And thanks for leaving us by the way…," Xenovia said as she, Eren, and Rossweisse walked in and dropped a pile of books at their feet.

"Are you sure those are albums and not… grimoires?" Rias asked, picking one up.

"That's what we thought too until Grayfia-sama reassured us that they were," Eren said.

"Well then," Rias opened one of the books, sending dust into her face. She sneezed and waved the dust off her face.

"Is that… Sirzechs-sama?" Akeno asked. Rias squinted as she saw a little boy with short red hair sitting on her mother's lap. He was smiling and grinning at whoever had captured the photo. Rias's eyes drifted to her mother's arms. There was a small baby wrapped in cloth, sleeping soundly.

"Is that…?" Koneko asked.

"Onee-sama," Rias's fingers lightly touched the picture of her sleeping sister.

"Find another picture," Akeno said. Rias nodded and flipped through the notebook. She found a picture titled Day at the Park.

There she saw her older brother starting to look like the Sirzechs she was familiar with. In looks anyways. Sirzechs's eyes were nothing like how they were today despite possessing the same color and shade. The emotion in them was… bored. Next to him, she saw a girl with long red hair hugging her brother's arm. She had two pigtails on the side of her hair. She possessed the same Gremory blue eyes as they did.

"Your sister looks so beautiful," Eren said. Asia nodded, lost for words and captivated by the young woman's beauty.

"Your brother kind of looks like you whenever he showers you with his Ria-tan affections," Akeno said.

Rias blinked and looked closer. He did. That same face she always made whenever Sirzechs did embarrassing displays of affection in public whenever he saw her. The hugs. The smiles. The kisses on the cheek and forehead. And the Lucifer-awful nickname that continues to haunt her to this day. But she couldn't help but wonder why her brother made that face with her older sister. She always assumed that he was like this. Did her death really hit him that hard?

"Your brother… was never really the same after Anna died," a voice said from behind.

The group jumped and turned to see Ajuka standing behind them.

"Beelzebub-sama!" Rias said, getting up and bowing before him. "To what do we owe this honor?"

"Ah! Rias-chan, you know you don't have to bow to me. Anyway, I'm here to see if your brother was here. Natalia and I need him for something," Ajuka said. His eyes drifted over to Eren.

Eren gulped.

"Your sister is also looking for you," Ajuka said, smiling.

"Um… I'm just hanging out with Rias-sama and her peerage," Eren said. "Tou-san, don't tell her I'm here. I told her I was going to be at the mall with a couple of friends."

"HAHA! I'm not going to tell her," Ajuka said. "Well, that'll be all, I need to go look for your brother now."

"Wait!"

Ajuka stopped in his tracks and glanced over to Rias.

"Tell us about what happened. How did Nee-sama die? All I know is she died in the Civil War," Rias said. "Tou-sama and Kaa-sama rarely talk about her without Kaa-sama crying and even when they do…"

"You should ask Sirzechs that sometime. Annalise and I were close friends but I feel like Sirzechs would be the best person to ask about her," Ajuka said.

"I see…," Rias said. "Thank you for your help, Ajuka-sama."

* * *

**January 23, 2020, 4:15 PM**

* * *

"GAH!" Rias slammed into a wall and slid down. If there was anything almost as bad as the heartbreak she felt when she and Issei had broken up, this was a close second. She shakily got to her feet and activated her Eyes.

"HAAH!" Rias disappeared and reappeared in front of Sirzechs delivering a flurry of kicks and punches. Sirzechs blocked them all effortlessly before sending a punch towards Rias. Rias barely dodged, using Sirzechs's arm as a platform and jumped into the air. She raised her hands above her head and fired a PoD beam at him.

Sirzechs slapped the beam out of the way before flying to Rias. Even with her eyes active, Rias barely perceived Sirzechs's speed and she knew he was holding back. Sirzechs rammed his fist into her stomach, bruising several of her ribs.

Rias fought through the pain and grabbed her brother's arm. She used his momentum against him, throwing him to the ground. Sirzechs landed without issue but was then sent crashing face first when Rias performed a spin kick to his head.

"You landed a hit," Sirzechs said, smiling.

"I know… finally," Rias said, jumping away from him. Sirzechs gave Rias a feral grin.

"Looks like I'll just have to try harder then," Sirzechs said as he began to charge his demonic power. Rias's eyes widened as Sirzechs disappeared before her very eyes. She raised her guard to the max, using her Eyes to scan for her brother's energy signature.

Rias immediately moved out of the way as Sirzechs's fist traveled past her face. She countered by attempting to punch the underside of his chin. Sirzechs blocked and slammed his palm into her, sending her skidding backward.\

Rias panted as she looked at her brother slowly walking towards her. "Tch!" Rias summoned the Power of Destruction to her hands and shaped them into daggers. She dashed towards Sirzechs, slashing at him.

Sirzechs coated his hand in PoD and slapped the daggers out of the way, kicking Rias. She flipped over his leg and slammed her leg into her brother's side.

Sirzechs slid to the left and countered with his own kick, sending Rias flying. Rias righted herself in the air and spread her wings. She dashed towards Sirzechs, her eyes glowing with intensity. She coated her fist in the Power of Destruction.

Sirzechs stood there, waiting for her to attack. She threw her fist, which was easily caught by Sirzechs. He tightened his grip around her arm and smirked as he looked at her.

"Is that it, Rias?" Sirzechs said, sending her to one knee due to the pain. Rias glared at her brother before letting out a pained grin. She opened her hand, unleashing a deluge of PoD bullets in Sirzechs' face.

His eyes widened as he let go of her arm to dodge her onslaught. He looked down and saw Rias's leg slam into his face. A crunching noise was heard as Sirzechs stumbled back. He gripped his face and saw blood in his hands.

Rias stood there with her leg extended before putting it down and readying herself for her brother's next attack.

"You broke my nose," Sirzechs said.

"Eh? Really? Oh shit!" Rias dropped her guard. "I'm so sorry!"

"You forgot lesson one," Sirzechs said.

"Lesson One?"

"Never let your guard down!"

Rias nodded and got to her feet, stumbling as she tried to balance herself. "Right… that was a dirty trick," Rias said, seething at her own mistake.

"Your opponent will perform the same tactics in battle Rias. You should know this by now," Sirzechs admonished her.

"Right…," Rias said, wiping the blood off her mouth.

"So, are we done for the day?" Sirzechs asked. Rias's jaw dropped a little.

"NO! We're not done until I reach the final stage!" Rias protested.

"Rias, you've been doing really well with evolving your eyes but you're not going to force yourself into the Final Stage," Sirzechs said.

"NO! I am going to reach it!" Rias said.

"Why are you so fixated on reaching the Final Stage?" Sirzechs asked.

"So I can be as good as her! So I can be just like Nee-sama!" Rias said.

"Rias, you've never even met her…," Sirzechs said.

"But still! Ever since I was born, I never knew anything about her! All I knew was how great she was and I've always wanted to be like her! Now I'm older and I will achieve that childish dream of becoming a woman like the sister I've never met! I will carry the Gremory Family Power with me like she did!" Rias said. As she said this, her eyes began to glow with great intensity.

"Rias…," Sirzechs said.

"AND TO PROVE THAT I DON'T NEED ISSEI TO PROTECT ME ALL THE TIME!" Rias yelled, her power flaring all around her. She dashed towards Sirzechs with the intent to injure him. He quickly dodged as Rias slammed into the ground behind him. He batted her hand aside as he began to parry every blow she threw at him.

"HAAAH!" Rias performed a roundhouse kick on Sirzechs which he effortlessly blocked,

"So this whole thing was about Issei… you never got over it…," Sirzechs said as he held her leg.

"SHUT UP!" Rias yelled as she forcefully wrenched her leg from her older brother's grasp. "AND FIGHT!"

She threw her fist towards his face.

"Rias," Sirzechs caught the fist and put Rias in an arm lock.

"WHY! IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I WAS BEING CONTROLLED!" Rias yelled as tears streamed down her face.

"You've been trying to be strong for the others," Sirzechs said.

"LET ME GO!" she yelled. She used her demonic power to escape from Sirzechs's arm lock. As she did, her eyes bled as they glowed intensely. The floral pattern became more prominent as a wave of red power exploded from Rias. Sirzechs was forced to let go and jump back to avoid it.

A volley of dark red energy balls flew towards Sirzechs. Sirzechs' eyes widened as he summoned a magic barrier to defend himself. His shock grew even more when his barrier was seemingly erased by the energy onslaught. Rias floated in the spot where they had stood. Her hair was glowing red and floating slightly as red lines of energy etched itself into her body.

_That's just like…_, Sirzechs said. _Has her Power of Sight really helped her control her energy to that degree?_

Sirzechs dodged as he watched the remaining balls impact the ground, exploding in soft red lights. There were small perfectly circular craters in the ground behind him.

"Pay attention!" Rias yelled as she appeared right next to him. Sirzechs reacted almost immediately and jabbed Rias with his elbow.

Rias fought against the pain and grabbed Sirzechs' arm. Sirzechs immediately felt pain shoot through his arm as he saw his sleeve being eaten away by violet-purple energy on Rias's hands. The flesh and muscle were all being eaten away, torn apart atom by atom. Before the corrosion could spread, Sirzechs' eyes glowed and Rias was launched away from her brother. Sirzechs held his now bleeding arm in pain as he looked at Rias.

"I can still fight…," Rias said.

"No."

The two turned to see their father standing at the balcony.

"That's enough," Zeoticus said.

"But Tou-sama!" Rias protested. Her hair had long since lost their glow as she powered down. The markings of energy on her skin had seemingly vanished.

"Rias, come with me. Sirzechs, go. I had a Phenex Tear prepared for you after witnessing… that," Zeoticus said. Sirzechs nodded and Rias sighed as she spread her wings and flew towards her father.

"Tou-sama?" Rias asked as she followed him into the mansion.

"Rias, I need you to follow me," Zeoticus said.

"I don't understand," Rias said.

"You don't need to… not yet," Zeoticus said. Rias followed her father as they went to what she considered to be the creepy part of the manor. It was a place she only stepped foot in a few times in her life. That number was something she could count on one hand. Rias watched as her father placed his hand on a wall. The Gremory Clan symbol appeared on the wall and the wood moved, revealing a door.

"Rias… what I'm about to show you is a place not even Sirzechs nor your mother have been to. Only your older sister has ever entered this place," Zeoticus said as he opened the door.

"But they know this exists right?" Rias asked.

"They do but the magic is specifically keyed to those who have awakened the Power of Sight. No one else other than those who possess our Eyes or the Shevirat Ha-Kelim can enter this place," Zeoticus said as he descended a spiral staircase with Rias.

"Shevirat Ha-Kelim? I've heard that word thrown around a few times but I don't really know what that means. If I recall correctly, you said that our power was derived from it," Rias said.

"The Shevirat Ha-Kelim is a unique power that belongs to our creator, Lucifer, and her daughter, Lilith," Zeoticus said.

"Did Satanachia-sama have it too? If I recall, he was also called Lucifer," Rias said.

"No, Satanachia had something called the Crown of Wrath which allows him to use a destructive power similar to the Power of Destruction," Zeoticus said.

"Then what does the Shevirat Ha-Kelim do?" Rias asked as they arrived at another door.

"I've never seen it personally but rumor has it that it supposedly possesses the power of unlimited creation as well as the power to utilize the powers of all devil families," Zeoticus said.

"A… All devil families?" Rias asked.

"Yes, it's where our progenitors got their powers from. It only makes sense that the source is capable of using all our abilities, don't you think?" Zeoticus said as he opened the door.

The door opened to reveal a small room with shelves inside. A portrait of a woman with blood-red hair and golden eyes hung above a mantle that was lit with red flames. The flames caused shadows to dance eerily, making the woman in the portrait seem more imposing than she already looked, enhancing her yellow eyes to the point where they appeared as if they glowed. Rias recognized this portrait anywhere. Any Gremory worth their salt knew who this woman in the painting was.

It was the progenitor of their clan, the 56th Pillar Demon, Gremory.

The room had two seats as well as a small red orb that rested on a pedestal before the fireplace. Zeoticus motioned for Rias to follow him inside and she did.

"What is this place?" Rias asked.

"This is where a Gremory goes upon reaching the final stages of their eyes' maturation. It is where they discover what ability is attributed with their eyes," Zeoticus said.

"So you think that I?" Rias asked.

"I don't think. I know," Zeoticus said. He picked up and grabbed the orb before him.

"This orb holds a record of every Power that the Sight awakens from others that have come before you. Of course, I say Unique because usually, only one or two people wield the same ability. My Swirl of Gluttony was known as the Starving Gaze when it was used by the Original Gremory," Zeoticus said.

"So this orb is a record of all the Original Gremory's powers?" Rias asked as she took the orb from her father's hand.

"Essentially," Zeoticus said.

"How do I find out what power I have?" Rias asked.

"The orb contains an inscription written in a language that only wielders of the Power of Sight and the Shevirat Ha-Kelim can wield," Zeoticus said. "The words are invisible to everyone except for wielders of those two powers."

"I have to activate my eyes?" Rias said.

Zeoticus nodded. "The orb will react to the activation of your eyes and present to you the Power you possess."

Rias nodded and activated her Power of Sight and the orb immediately pulsed and shifted, changing from red to a swirling black-violet color. Rias's eyes widened as she saw a set of words in a language she had never seen before appear in the air before her.

ᒷᒲ!¡∷ᒷᓭᓭ ⊣ᔑ⨅ᒷ

"Well?" Zeoticus asked.

"It says...," Rias said as she slowly read the words with clear understanding.

"It says Empress Gaze," Rias said.

If Rias ever regretted a time where she didn't have a phone, it would be now. Her father's jaw had dropped open and his eyes threatened to bug out of his head. He opened and closed his mouth as the words "Empress Gaze" repeatedly came out of his mouth.

"C- Can you say that again?" Zeoticus asked.

"It says Empress Gaze," Rias said.

"Empress Gaze… this is amazing! No one has had the Empress Gaze since the Original Gremory!" Zeoticus said.

"Eh? WHAT!?" Rias asked.

"Wh… What does the Empress Gaze do?" Rias asked.

"It is said to go hand in hand with the Axial Gaze," Zeoticus said. "Whereas the Axial Gaze can control space-time, allowing one to teleport, shift spaces, and access a different dimensional space as well as intangibility, the Empress Gaze has the power to grasp all that they can see along with controlling an energy called Null. It's what you used in your battle against Sirzechs. The power to deconstruct something atom by atom," Zeoticus said.

"That's like…," Rias said.

"The Power of Destruction? No, the Power of Destruction focuses on the annihilation of things whereas the Empress Gaze's Null allows one to sever the bonds of all matter."

Rias looked down, looking at her hands. She had injured Sirzechs, ripping his flesh apart atom by atom with her powers. This new power scared her. While she was afraid of injuring her friends with her Power of Destruction, this new power was one she had no control of.

"So what now?" Rias asked.

"Now? Now, we train your power," Zeoticus said, taking the orb from her. "Get ready! This will be the most intense training of your entire life!"

Rias gulped as she nodded.

* * *

**Satanachia Stadium, February 20, 2020, 3:00 PM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 50 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Rias couldn't stop shaking. This was her second semifinals match. And it seemed like destiny or whoever was in charge of it liked to screw with her.

"Rias-sama, we will win this time. It won't be like last time," Akeno said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Rias nodded and glanced at the rest of her peerage before turning to the screen.

"**Welcome to the Second Round of the Semifinals! This is your host Naud Gamigin speaking once more! And here, we have a guest host! All of you older devils know her. Every God in existence knows her! One of the Seven Prime Demons! The progenitor of the Mammon House, Lady Mammon!**" Naud announced.

A woman whose beauty could be on par with goddesses themselves sat next to Naud. She had long flowing wine-violet hair that reached down past her shoulders. She had perfect dark skin that made her look like an ebony goddess as her sulfuric yellow eyes gazed at the crowd through the screen. She wore a maroon cape that adorned her white and black dress shirt that had a black-tie around it.

"Mammon-sama is watching the game?" Rias asked.

"It seems like it," Akeno said as she watched the Prime Demon wave at the crowd.

"What's a Prime Demon?" Eren asked.

"Oh right, a Prime Demon is a title referring to the Seven Eldest Demons in existence. They are considered to be the progenitors of the royal families of Lucifer, Beelzebub, Leviathan, and Asmodeus. Belphegor and Mammon are also considered Royal Houses despite them being classified as Extra Demons. Some say that they have more influence on Devil Society than Zekram Bael but they prefer to remain out of the light and lead peaceful lives," Rias said.

"**Now let's get this match started. It seems that we have a good one today. As many devils here may recall, Rias Gremory made her first debut into the Rating Game World with this match and it seems that Fate had plans to allow her to have a redo of her first-ever loss! On the right, we have Rias Gremory and Team Rias Gremory!**" Naud announced.

An image of Rias appeared on the screen.

"**And as I said, Fate decided to screw them as her opponent is none other than RISER PHENEX!**" Naud said.

An image of Riser appeared on the screen.

"So he was your first opponent?" Tatsuya asked.

"Yes, we lost against him in our first match for the fate of our arranged marriage. Issei had to end up rescuing me," Rias said.

"Well, this isn't going to turn out like last time because you have me!" Tatsuya said, grinning and flexing.

Yuu and Hiruko gave him blank stares as Rias and the others shook their heads.

"**The match will begin in ten seconds so teams get ready!**" Naud said.

Rias turned to her peerage.

"This is it," she said.

"**Ten!** **Nine! Eight!**"

"We have to win this," Rias said. "No excuses."

"**Seven! Six!**"

"Riser will go down this time! We will head past the semifinals and the finals and win the Games! Why? Because we are Team Gremory! We are the team that helped win the war!"Rias said.

"**Five!**"

Rias turned and looked at the screen.

"**Four!**"

"**Three!**"

"**Two!**"

"I hope you're ready… Riser," Rias said.

"**One!**"

"**Let the match begin!**" Naud said.

Rias and her peerage disappeared in a red magic circle as they were transported into the rating game arena.

* * *

**Omake: My Daughter's cuter**

* * *

Shiva sighed as he watched his wife and Ra arguing. Next to him sat the white-haired, blue-eyed creator young man who was the creator of Shamayem, Yahweh, eating a loaf of bread as he watched the beautiful violet-haired goddess and the handsome black-haired, golden-eyed God have a screaming match. To Shiva's left was another woman. She had long midnight-black hair. Her skin was pale, almost translucent and she wore a dark violet kimono that opened up slightly at the bottom, revealing her shins and her feet with a white-violet obi at her torso. Her eyes were red with white slit-like elliptical pupils. She sipped a cup of tea as she sighed. She was Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the Shinto Elder Goddess of Darkness and Stars.

"Should we stop them?" she asked.

"You know that never ends well, Ama," Shiva said, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I'm surprised that you aren't stopping them, Yahweh. Usually, you play as a neutral third party every time they fight," Amatsu said.

"I'm curious as well. You aren't over there with them this time," Shiva said.

"That's because what they're arguing about is pointless," Yahweh said, swallowing his bread.

As if he had said something blasphemous, Ra and Parvati stopped arguing and appeared immediately in front of the white-haired deity.

"POINTLESS!" Ra yelled.

"YAHWEH FOR SHAME!" Parvati said.

"Hey, I'm just saying, you two have been arguing about the same thing for months now," Yahweh said.

"Well, bird brain over here won't accept facts!" Parvati argued.

"No, this grape haired bitch is the one that won't accept!" Ra said.

"Shiva! Your wife is being insulted! Do something!" Parvati said, causing her husband to shrink in his seat.

"Come on. Can't we just agree to disagree?" Amatsu asked.

"NO! Not until he/she agrees that my daughter is the cutest!" they both said at once.

"Pfft! HAHAHA!" Yahweh laughed.

"What's so funny?" Ra asked.

"It's just that you're both wrong," Yahweh said, wiping a tear from his eye. He held out his hand and a holographic image of a sleeping baby girl with a tuft of white hair on her head appeared.

"Woah! She's so cute," Amatsu said, looking at the image. "How old is she?"

"She's six months old as of now," Yahweh said.

"Is this why you ditched us whenever we had guys' night?" Ra asked.

"Yup. She's my pride and joy!" Yahweh said.

"What's her name?" Shiva asked.

"Her name is... Helel. It means Bringer of Light," Yahweh said.

"Wait, if you're here, then who's watching her?" Parvati asked.

"Oh, my sister is," he answered.

"Really? Do you trust her to look after little Ellie?" Ra asked.

"I trust her about as far as I can throw her. Which isn't far by the way but she's the strongest being currently residing in our Universe so what else can I do?" Yahweh said.

They all nodded before Yahweh's earlier words registered in the heads of Parvati and Ra.

"WHAT!? THERE IS NO WAY THAT BALL OF FLUFF IS CUTER THAN MY DAUGHTER!" they yelled.

"Ma'at is cuter!" Ra said.

"No! Kali is much cuter than both of them!" Parvati argued.

Yahweh glared as a black aura surrounded him.

"LIES! HELEL IS CUTER THAN BOTH YOUR DAUGHTERS COMBINED!" Yahweh argued.

"Oh dear," Amatsu said as she and Shiva watched as the argument devolved into a three-way war.

It was here that in stories that would later be passed down among the Gods that those three beings who they described as more terrifying than the Dragon Gods themselves fought. No one knew what they fought for save for Shiva and Amatsu-Mikaboshi, who decided that lunch and a show was too good to pass up. Many thought that they fought over concepts inconceivable to the Gods themselves but the truth of their battle shall always remain obscure, for that question could trigger a war worse than the Evil Dragon War.

Whose daughter was cuter?

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Anon: Hmm, I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything from IluLugal about it and Change of a Dragon hasn't received an update in a while. **

**vandersee62: Za Warudo! Toki wo tomare!**

**AnimeFan0216: Ah yes... that scene in that arc. Yes, it will still happen, unfortunately. As for Mastema, for now, she's just a spirit residing within Issei's soul, serving as the "manifestation" of his powers. But you're right about the freeloading mother part. She does see herself as such.**

**leader. dbz: That will be revealed soon! As for Seekvaira's time stop, it's a different version which lets her stop time on a 4-dimensional scale in a limited space around her. So far, DxD hasn't done anything that I know of involving resistance to higher dimensional level attacks as all of their powers deal with things on a 3-D scale.**

* * *

**Sorry guys for the late update. Online classes and assignments really haven't given me much time to update chapters. Anyway, as promised, Rias's training and some of the peerage training were shown but I really wanted to focus on Rias's training as you see... well, she's not really over her break-up with Issei. The next chapter is the rematch between Rias and Riser and after that, it will be the semifinals round two for Issei and his team so be ready! Remember, have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours and remember to wash your hands!**

**Edit: Woopsie! Made a mistake with Ra's genealogy. Thanks a bunch Rhongomyniad! Though instead of Tefnut, I decided to go with Ma'at since Tefnut would be much older than Ma'at and Lucifer in this fic.**


	22. Rematch

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

**Edit: Haaaahaaa... I'm sorry for mixing the two up. Yuu is the Barrier User. Thank you FateOnline and Anon for pointing it out! Next time, don't hesitate to point out any mistakes I might miss.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Satanachia Stadium, Lilith, Hell Level One: Gehenna, February 20, 2020, 3:00 PM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 49 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Rias smiled and began to laugh at the irony of it all. Her older brother had the sickest sense of humor. To think that he actually went to Ajuka and requested this very setting to be their arena for the games.

"How ironic," she heard Akeno mutter. The entire team was inside the Occult Research Clubroom. Everything was perfectly replicated from the chairs to Rias's desk. She looked outside and saw the entirety of the Academy before her. She had absolutely no doubt that Riser and his peerage were located in the exact same spot as they were last time. She also knew that like the first time, Riser would not go easy on her which was fine with Rias. In the time since their game, she had grown as well. Both as a strategist and a fighter.

"So, are we doing this how we did it last time?" Akeno asked. Everyone's eyes landed on Rias as she stared out the window. Her eyes began to shine as she smiled.

"It's the last thing Riser would expect. With our experience out in the war, we can win this no problem but Riser isn't a slouch and he isn't afraid of fighting dirty… and besides, he's probably been studying us as we competed in our matches so he'll be going off the strategies and maneuvers we used," Rias said. "That being said, there's a chance he'll expect the strategy we used during our first match so I don't know…"

"How should we do this, Rias-sama?" Kiba asked.

Rias placed her hands on the side of her temples and began to think. She opened them and sighed.

"Let's go with our original maneuver where we try to get our pawns into enemy territory and promote them to Queens," Rias said.

"Akeno, you're going for aerial support and keep an eye out for Yubelluna. Be careful. Just because you got stronger doesn't mean that they stayed weak. Riser wouldn't have gotten this far if they didn't," Rias said.

"So you want us to set traps in the gym like last time?" Koneko asked.

"Yes… that would be wise," Rias said. "Now go!"

"What will you do?" Tatsuya asked.

"Probably head for Riser… like last time," Rias said.

"Eren and I will go with you if that's the case then," Asia said.

Rias glanced over to her and smiled as she nodded in confirmation.

* * *

"How do you think we'll do?" Hiruko asked as he Tatsuya, Yuu, and Koneko stealthily made their way through the gymnasium. They were behind the bleachers, creeping through like a group of thieves attempting to rob the house of a rich man. Koneko's ears were out and her senses were on high alert. She did not want a repeat of last time where Yubelluna practically one-shotted her into oblivion and retired her.

"Wait…," Koneko said, holding her hand up. Her ears twitched as her golden eyes drifted over through the bleachers and saw four familiar figures entering the gym.

The first was a woman of Chinese descent. She had shoulder-length black hair alongside a pair of greenish-blue eyes that rapidly darted around the room. Her hair was styled in two Chinese-style buns with her bangs covering her forehead. She wore a blue qipao that was open at the chest, allowing for a healthy view of her breasts.

"Xuelan…," Koneko muttered.

The second was a woman with blue hair that was styled into four ponytails behind her head. Her bangs were split across her forehead with side bangs framing the side of her face. She wore a red happi coat over a white haori with a red obi tied around her waist. She wore black armguards and her footwear consisted of zori. She held a wooden staff in her right hand.

The two girls to the right of them looked nearly identical to each other. They both possessed turquoise hair with blue eyes. They wore gym uniforms that consisted of a white shirt with blue accents, a pair of black shorts, and blue sneakers with over knee-high socks. The only way to tell the two apart was to see where they wore their ponytails.

"And Mira, Ile, and Nel," Koneko said. "This really is going like last time…"

"What do we do?" Tatsuya asked as he summoned his Sacred Gear, **[Frozen Flames]**. The gear took the form of a pair of red and blue electrician's gloves with a red gem embedded in the blue glove and a blue gem embedded in the red glove.

"Nothing… we need to conserve our numbers for the inevitable part of rushing Riser at the same time," Koneko said.

The three nodded at her and they continued to sneak through the bleachers. Upon reaching the end, Koneko used her ears and Senjutsu to sense if the girls had moved at all.

Koneko reacted quickly, pushing Tatsuya out of the way as the ground ruptured between them. The wall crumbled as it exploded, shaking the entire gym. Koneko gritted her teeth as she saw the massive hole in the wall. She turned to see Xuelan grinning at her.

"Ready for a rematch?" Xuelan asked as she held her fists up, staring at Koneko with a grin.

Koneko dusted herself off and stood, raising her fists. Xuelan's smile grew wider as she rushed Koneko, sending a flurry of kicks and punches. The Nekomata expertly dodged and deflected each one of her kicks before catching Xuelan's leg. She gripped it and picked the older rook up, throwing her across the gym.

"Haaah!" Mira rushed past Koneko with the intent of eliminating either Tatsuya, Yuu, or Hiruko.

"Crap!" Koneko turned to assist them. Riser was obviously taking advantage of their inexperience. A few rating games weren't going to be enough for them to fight someone as experienced as Riser.

"Pay attention!" Xuelan kicked Koneko in the torso, sending her skidding across the floor of the gym.

Tatsuya froze as he saw Mira's staff getting closer. Suddenly, the floor boars exploded underneath Mira, forcing her to take to the air as a portion of the earth was jutting out of the ground. Hiruko held his hand out, a pair of dull grey gauntlets on both arms that were glowing yellow. This was his Sacred Gear. A gear that allowed him to manipulate and control stone and earth. Its name was **[Behemoth Blasters]**. Hiruko raised his hand, sending a hail of stone towards Mira.

Mira growled and expertly spun her staff, blocking the shards.

"Hiruko!"

Yuu got in front of Hiruko, generating a barrier between them as Ile and Nel's chainsaws threatened to turn him into mincemeat. Yuu's Sacred Gear did not have a physical manifestation, rather it allowed him to create barriers of various sizes for defensive and offensive purposes. The Gear's name was **[Jericho's Wall]**. Yuu rapidly expanded the barrier in Ile and Nel's direction, the sudden force of the expansion pushing them back.

He released the barrier and formed a full-body forcefield around himself. While not as sturdy as his other barriers, this one wasted less energy due to its low durability but it allowed him to take hits.

"Thanks," Hiruko said, raising his hand in their direction. Hiruko's hand glowed bright yellow as a steady hail of rock shrapnel burst forth from his hands. Ile and Nel's eyes widened as they split apart to avoid the deluge.

Meanwhile, Koneko had gotten serious, coating her hands in a blue aura and launching them towards Xuelan. Xuelan's eyes widened as she flipped over some of the aura blasts, before punching the air in front of her, sending a shockwave that impacted Koneko's skin. Her eyes widened as she coughed up blood, falling to one knee.

"Like it? It's a new technique I learned where I punch the air to send a hyperdense blast of wind. To Rooks, there would be no external damage due to our durability but inside… the organs are just like everyone else's," Xuelan said, sending another blast of air with her foot. Koneko's eyes widened as she dodged the aerial blast. She looked behind her and saw a perfectly circular hole in the wall. The nekoshou counted herself lucky. She only did dodge by a hair's breadth after all. Any closer and she would have taken more damage than she would have wanted to.

"You've… gotten stronger," Koneko pointed out.

"We have… when we heard that you were our opponent in the final round of the semifinals before the main stage or final round as we're calling it, Riser-sama pushed us to new heights to refine our strengths and cover each other's weaknesses," Xuelan said.

"Not going to be enough," Koneko said as she released both her tails. She was enveloped in a white aura as the pressure around her grew.

"Touki…," Xuelan said, preparing herself. "Well then, let's go!" She and Koneko rushed towards each other, trading blows. Xuelan sent a punch that Koneko dodged, sending a wave of highly compressed hair into the bleachers. The bleachers shattered and splintered as Koneko countered with a devastating blow to Xuelan's ribs. Xuelan flew across the gym and threw the wall, sending her sprawling onto the ground outside the gym.

And the outcome will end up the same," Koneko said as she approached Xuelan.

Xuelan groaned as she shakily got on her knees to face her opponent.

"It's game over," Koneko said as she raised her fist. She threw it but to her surprise, Xuelan dodged, rolling out of the way just barely in time. In that instant, an explosion happened and Yuu landed next to Koneko.

"What happened?" Koneko asked.

"The loli twins… their chainsaws are on fucking fire," he said as he raised his hand. A barrier formed around them as two flaming wheels bounced off.

"Thanks," Koneko said. Her eyes began to glow yellow as she raised her hands over her head. A small flaming orb appeared above her and despite its size, Yuu felt the immense level of heat that the orb was emitting.

"Take down the barrier," Koneko ordered.

Yuu nodded as he took it down. He ran back in the direction of the gymnasium where the sounds of chainsaws, wooden thwacks, and Tatsuya's incessant screams were heard.

"This is the end for you, Xuelan," Koneko said as she rushed towards her. Xuelan dropped into a defensive stance and dodged when Koneko sent out a punch. She countered by sweeping her feet out from underneath. Koneko fell face-first to the ground and screamed in pain when Xuelan kicked her ribs, sending her crashing through several trees.

"Ora ora!" Xuelan threw a few punches and kicks, sending out blasts of pressurized air towards Koneko's downed form. The sounds of crashing and breaking were heard as a dust cloud formed.

Xuelan carefully approached the cloud, keeping her guard up. She swung her arm, generating a gust that cleared the dust. Her eyes narrowed.

_Where did she go?_ Xuelan asked.

Koneko hovered above her, thanking her small form and her senjutsu abilities to give her the needed boost to make it into the air. She opened her palm and the small flaming aura sphere reappeared. She raised her arm into the air and threw it down, sending the orb speeding faster than a bullet towards Xuelan.

Xuelan felt an immense amount of heat growing above her and turned around. She saw a small baseball-sized flaming sphere headed towards her. She quickly jumped out of the way, avoiding it.

Koneko moved her hand, forcing the sphere to curve hard to the right, following Xuelan. The devil rook was thoroughly surprised, seeing as a flaming ball of death was currently hot on her heels but this was not the time to panic. She flipped back several times before gaining some distance from the sphere. She threw her fist towards it, sending a blast of compressed air towards the sphere. The air blast immediately dispersed as the sphere charged through it, breaking it like a rock shatters glass.

Xuelan kept leaping back as the sphere slowly gained ground on her. Eventually, the rook was out of places to run as her back literally hit the wall of the Kuoh Academy Gym. Having no choice but to block, Xuelan raised her arms in an x formation and faced the attack head-on.

However, this all went in Koneko's favor for the moment the energy sphere made contact with Xuelan's flesh. The sphere rapidly expanded, engulfing Xuelan and a good portion of the Kuoh Gym.

Koneko held her hand out and closed her fist, creating a massive pillar of flames that were seen throughout the entire arena. When the pillar of flames disappeared, Xuelan was nowhere to be found.

"**OUTSTANDING! AS EXPECTED OF A PIECE OF RIAS GREMORY! Mammon-sama, how much do you expect from this team?**" Naud asked.

"**Honestly? Like other devils, I expect a lot but… it is interesting how they're adapting without the Red Dragon Emperor to help them**," Mammon said.

Tatsuya raised his hand, sending a hail of ice shards towards Mira. She spun her staff, deflecting the shards. She rushed towards Tatsuya, thrusting the end of her staff into his gut. He had his breath knocked out of him as he stumbled back.

"Damnit!" Hiruko pushed Nel back. He slammed his hand into the floor, sending a wave of earthen spikes to Mira. Mira dodged, leaping into the air. A barrier enveloped the pawn, causing her to turn and see Yuu with his hand outstretched. Next to him, Ile was trapped in a similar barrier. He closed his hands into fists, shrinking the barriers.

"NEL! MIRA!" Ile said.

"Surrender!" Yuu called out.

Ile turned to Yuu and glared.

"Surrender and I'll let them go. Don't and I'll crush them like a can!" Yuu said as a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.

_I can't hold this forever. Bluffing's the only thing I can do right now!_ Yuu thought. Ile hesitantly lowered her chainsaw, looking at the two spheres. Without warning, she threw the Chainsaw at Ile's barrier, catching Yuu off-guard.

An earthen ridge erupted in front of Ile in an attempt to catch her off-guard. She scoffed and jumped, spreading her wings and vaulting over the barrier. She extended her hands and began to utter two words.

"**Promotion: Roo-!**" Ile's eyes widened as she flew through the wall as a white blur slammed into her.

"Koneko-san!" Yuu said.

"Focus on keeping them trapped! Tatsuya, Yuu, on me!" Koneko said as she jumped through the hole.

* * *

Yubelluna flew towards the school building, following her King's plan to the letter, or rather the plan her King and his new piece had created. She wasn't a new piece per se but she had accepted the offer to participate in the games and refused her King's offer of becoming his Bishop. She hid her identity from the rest of the Supernatural World for reasons that Yubelluna could not fathom however, there was one thing. That woman was dangerous. Even more dangerous than her king on his worst and best day.

As she flew, she saw Ile crash through the wall.

"So she's using the same strategy in response to ours," Yubelluna said as she spotted Koneko and Rias's two new pawns. She grinned as she raised her staff.

_Easy pickings like last time_, she thought as an orange magic circle appeared in front of her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Yubelluna turned around and saw one of the last people she wanted to see.

"Himejima," Yubelluna said.

"Hello, Yubelluna," Akeno said as she hovered in front of Riser's Queen.

"To think that we would be fighting again in a rating game like this," Yubelluna said as several magic circles appeared behind her.

"It must have been fated then. Maybe I can find a copy of our fight in The Bible?" Akeno joined in, raising her hand. The air crackled and sparkled as several spears made of pure yellow lightning appeared behind her.

"Cute," Yubelluna said as she unleashed a hail of extremely explosive magic bolts at her. Akeno threw her hand forward as a barrage of spears flew towards Yubelluna.

Spell collided with spell as the skies of the Rating Game Dimension were lit up like the Fourth of July and New Year's combined. The spells shockwaves shook the surrounding area as the glass in the building shattered. Lightning met explosions as Akeno struggled to push her back.

_It seems that Riser wasn't a slouch when it came to training_, Akeno thought. _He really pushed these girls past the breaking point in their training. However, I've been training too. That training was with the Fallen Seraph Penemue and Baraqiel, the latter being my father._

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Yubelluna said as she increased the number of explosive bolts that exited her magic circle.

Akeno growled and grunted as she pushed back against the spell.

* * *

Xenovia, Yuuto, Rossweisse, and Gasper all stumbled when the ground shook underneath them. The four looked to the direction of the gymnasium and saw the brilliant display of arcane mastery above them.

"Looks like neither of them are holding back," Kiba noted.

"Akeno-senpai," Gasper said, worried for Akeno's safety.

"Come on," Xenovia said, keeping one hand on Durandal.

"Wait," Kiba said as he walked forward. A magic circle appeared underneath his right hand as a demonic black sword manifested in his waiting hand. It had red markings engraved on its crimson hilt while gold decorative decals were seen all over the flat of the blade.

"I know you're there… Siris, Karlamine," Kiba said.

"Hmph," a woman with short brown hair walked out. Her attire was a mix of European Knight armor with her breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves, all three of which were made of silvery metal. Her arm guards and hip guards were reminiscent of that of Samurai armor.

"I guess this match was fate?" the woman next to her said. This woman had long black hair and brown eyes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with five strands, all held together by what appeared to be a golden scrunchie. She wore a white top with black accents, containing a cleavage window to allow others to get a good view of her cleavage. She also wore a red skirt, and metal greaves and gauntlets. There was a massive zweihander behind her possessing a length that was almost twice her height.

"Karalmine," Kiba said, before turning to the ponytail woman. "Siris."

"Ready for round two? I've always wanted to fight you again," Siris said as she lifted her zweihander off her back.

"I can't say I feel the same way," Kiba said, pointing Gram at them.

"That's quite rude. I thought us knights had a code where we were honor-bound to accept duels," Siris said.

"That would be true but…," Kiba let a cocky grin appear on his face. "I don't fight people weaker than I am."

"Rossweisse-sensei," Gasper said.

"What is it?" Rossweisse asked.

"Do you think that Issei-senpai, Mitsuki-senpai, and Vali-san are a bad influence?" Gasper asked.

"Why?"

"Because Kiba-senpai sounds just like them right now," Gasper said.

"Well then, since you're so confident, how about a two v one?" Karlamine asked.

"That's fine with me," Kiba said. He glanced back at Gasper and Rossweisse. "GO! Get to Riser!"

"Not so fast!" Karlamine said as she blocked Kiba's blade. "SHURIYA! ISABELA! NI! LI! STOP THEM!"

The aforementioned people all jumped out of their hiding spots and surrounded Rossweisse and Gasper. Shuriya was a scantily clad woman with messy blue hair and amber eyes. She wore a bikini bra that was made of a metallic underwire brassiere. She wore a silk loincloth that exposes the sides of her thighs and a silver tiara with neck rings with a blue and red gem respectively.

Isabela was a masked woman with short, light brown hair with three red highlights. She wore a plain white mask that covered the right side of her face and her outfit consists of a black jacket with matching pants. Her jacket was slightly open at the chest, revealing her rather large breasts and cleavage. Her jacket was also cut off, revealing her midriff. Isabela wore black gloves and boots.

The twins, Ni and Li, were identical in appearance like their fellow pawns Ile and Nel. However, unlike the two, these two can be easily differentiated from one another due to their differing hair colors. Ni had blue hair and red eyes while her twin Li possessed red hair and blue eyes. The two had a pair of cat ears, showing their nekomata heritage, and wore skimpy, white sailor uniforms that revealed their shoulders, the lower portion of their breasts, and their abdomen.

"Looks like we need to plow through these too?" Rossweisse said as she raised her hand. A series of magic circles appeared behind her and began to glow as several forms of elemental magic manifested in front of them.

"Umm, Rossweisse-sensei? Isn't this a bit of an overkill?" Gasper asked as he slowly began to back away.

"Dear Gasper, there's no such thing as overkill," Rossweisse said as she threw her hands forward.

Riser's pawns and rook didn't even have time to respond as an elemental deluge forced them to scatter to avoid being hit. Isabela shot towards Rossweisse in an attempt to retire her, raising her fist for a decisive blow. Gasper appeared in front of her, intercepting her. He activated his Sacred Gear, **[Aeon Balor]**. **[Aeon Balor]** was a Sacred Gear capable of stopping the time of anything within the user's line of sight and contained a portion of the Evil God Balor's consciousness and power. Formerly known as **[Forbidden Balor View]**, it became **[Aeon Balor]** when it received its Longinus Certification.

Isabela was frozen before Rossweisse, who nodded in appreciation. Gasper slowly walked over to the frozen Rook and transformed one of his fists into a monstrous paw. He swung it, easily eliminating the Rook.

"**A Rook of Riser Phenex has been eliminated.**"

* * *

Naud's announcement rang throughout the entire field.

Upon hearing the announcement that two of his pieces had been eliminated by Rias's peerage, Riser bit his lip. Things were not looking up if things continued at their current rate. His Queen Yubelluna was currently engaging the Queen of Rias Gremory if the flashes of fire and lightning were anything to go by. Riser placed his hands in his pocket and sighed. If he was going to lose, losing to Rias didn't seem like a bad idea. However, his pride wouldn't allow him to let this match be a one-sided stomp. No, if Riser lost, he might as well take down a few of Rias's pieces with him.

Riser's tension disappeared when a comforting hand placed itself on his shoulder. Riser turned to see the person behind him. He was honestly lucky that she accepted to act as his replacement bishop for the Azazel Cup. The moment he had laid eyes on her, he felt something that he didn't for the other women in his harem.

"Riser-san," she said in a melodious voice that made Riser weak in his knees. Her violet eyes gazed over at the battle in front of them. "Don't worry… I believe that we can win."

"I hope so," Riser said. He closed his eyes and sensed three energy signatures heading in their direction.

* * *

Rias, Eren, and Asia flew in the direction of Riser's main headquarters. She had a guy feeling that since Riser was using the same strategy against her as he did before that he was confident in winning. However, the two eliminations from his peerage must be forcing him to see that she wasn't the same naive girl whom he had faced before. But something about this was off. From what she saw, Riser had a full set and a second bishop whose name was one she had never heard of before from Ravel or anywhere. It was known that Riser's substitute bishop for the games was female but she always wore a hood to cover her face.

"Rias-onee-sama?" Asia asked. Rias blinked and looked at her Bishop.

"Nothing, I was just thinking how fishy it is that the rest of Riser's pieces haven't come out to greet us," Rias said, scanning her surroundings.

"That is odd," Eren said as he began to bring up his guard. He could not afford to lose. There was someone he wanted to be like. Someone he wanted to reach.

"Just stay alert," Rias said.

"**Pawn of Riser Phenex has been eliminated!**"

Rias smiled at that announcement. But she couldn't afford to falter. Despite the early lead she had gained in her first Rating Game with Riser, he had still beaten her. Her opponent was a dangerous and cunning one with more Rating Game Victories under his belt than she did. No matter how powerful the opposing team was, an impeccable strategy always had provided a semblance of hope for victory. It was a saying that she based her thinking on when it came to matches, be it in chess or Rating Games.

"We're close," Rias said as she ran over to the door. If they flew now, Riser would most likely try to shoot them down so stealth seemed to be the best option. Of course she also knew that Riser would expect them. It wasn't as if they concealed their energy on their way here.

"Be careful. We don't know what kind of traps they set here," Rias said as she crept through the building. She turned to Eren and nodded.

"**Promotion: Queen!**" Eren said as he promoted. Asia smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Rias nodded and the three continued until they reached the stairwell. By any luck, only Riser would remain up there.

Rias paused as she reached for the door. Riser wasn't alone. There was someone else. She could've sworn that she recognized that energy signature but from where?

"Rias-senpai?" Eren looked at her. He had the same look on his face as a bead of sweat trailed down his forehead. But there was a difference between her and Eren. Eren's eyes contained a light of recognition within them. He knew who it was. Eren nodded to her shakily, prompting Rias to push open the door.

"Rias," Riser greeted her upon her arrival. She looked at him with little emotion in her eyes as she, Asia, and Eren stepped out onto the rooftop. Riser smiled as he placed his hands in his pocket.

"What brings you to see Riser today?" he asked.

"Is he speaking in the third person?" Eren asked.

Riser blinked and coughed into his fist before speaking once more.

"Sorry, a force of habit," Riser said as he grinned.

"This is just like last time, isn't it Riser?" Rias asked.

Riser grinned cockily as he brushed his bangs out of the way.

"It is though you've gotten stronger. Much stronger than our first match. Your peerage has gotten stronger as well. Akeno is keeping up with my Queen," Riser said.

"I see you haven't lost that cocky attitude of yours," Rias said. She raised her fists and dropped into a stance. "It'll be all the more satisfying when I wipe that smug grin off your face."

"Well you see, like last time, I won't be fighting alone," Riser said.

As soon as he said those words, Rias felt the area heat up. Riser was suddenly being slowly bathed in a soft orange light that came from above. She looked up and saw a large sun-like sphere barreling towards them. She raised her hand to intercept it when Eren appeared in front of her and raised his hands. An orange glow appeared in Eren's hands as the sphere slowed down. Eren roared and brought his hands together, compressing the projectile in front of him to a tiny orb before dispersing it.

Eren was panting slightly as he looked towards the air where a cloaked figure with a pair of feathered batlike wings hovered above them.

"Oh?" the figure said.

"You can cut the act. The others may not be able to recognize you but I do. I've been around you for too long… Nee-san," Eren said.

The figure chuckled before grabbing her cloak and removing it. Rias's eyes widened as Natalia hovered above her with a sly smile on her face. Her violet eyes twinkled in slight amusement and delight as she slowly descended to the ground. Rias was slightly unnerved by her presence. The massive aura she was radiating was leagues above what she felt from Riser. How Riser managed to recruit her was a mystery. A mystery she wanted to be solved.

"Yatogami-sensei," Rias said. "I didn't know you were participating in the Azazel Cup."

"I originally intended not to," Natalia said, shrugging. "But… I owed Riser and House Phenex."

"Owed them?" Rias asked.

"You see after Tou-sama and I left Gremory Manor, we went to Phenex Manor. We ended up going to the Phenex Manor to see if we could also procure their… political support to get the Naamah House up and running again," Natalia said.

"And in exchange for their support, you were reincarnated as Riser's piece?" Rias asked.

"He tried," Natalia said.

"She's too powerful for me to reincarnate. If I had to guess, she's almost as strong as Sairaorg Bael," Riser said. "So we decided on something different, Natalia has to participate as my bishop for the Azazel Cup."

"So, Rias, how should we do this?" Natalia asked as she dropped into a stance Rias had never seen before.

Rias gulped as she closed her eyes. She breathed and began to build her demonic power. She opened her eyes, a shockwave being released from it due to the pure power Rias possessed that sent a gust of wind towards Natalia and Riser.

Her floral patterned blue irises stared eerily back at them.

Eren and Asia glanced at each other and nodded. Eren raised his right wrist and a small black wrist band appeared around it. There was a small iridescent rainbow gemstone embedded into the side facing the dorsal portion of Eren's right arm.

"Oh? Your Sacred Gear. How much progress have you made with it?" Natalia asked.

"You'll see… I've always wanted to fight you, Nee-san. Ever since I found out we were devils, I've always wanted to see how much I need to improve to stand up to you and Issei-san," Eren said.

"I see…," Natalia said. "What about our family power from our Astaroth Blood?"

"I've made some progress with it. Oyaji says I have a knack for it," Eren said, holding his left hand up. A small black sphere appeared above the palm of his hand that bent the light around it. Everyone felt a slight pull towards the orb.

Natalia grinned, pride evident all over her face.

"Let's stop wasting time," Rias said.

"Yes," Riser said as he spread his wings. He coated his fists in flames. "Let's."

Rias acted first, sending a hail of PoD bullets at the two. Riser and Natalia scattered with Riser running alongside the perimeter of the roof and Natalia taking to the air. Natalia dove for Rias, her hand ready to drill into the Gremory Heiress's face.

Natalia's eyes widened as several wooden spears erupted from the ground, forcing her to roll out of the way. She raised her hand and formed another compressed star-like sphere and fired it at Eren. Eren raised his hand and erected a massive wooden barrier. The sphere impacted the barrier, exploding, and violently shaking the entire rooftop.

The smoke cleared to reveal a charred wooden barrier that was otherwise relatively intact. The same could not be said for the flooring. Rias and Asia hovered in mid-air as the rooftop began to burn with the metals that went into its structural frame beginning to revert to their molten state.

Eren dispersed the wooden barrier and grinned.

"How was that?" Eren asked.

"Not bad," Natalia said.

"Weren't we supposed to fight them together?" Rias said, descending and hovering next to Eren. Eren smiled embarrassedly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry! I got a bit too excited," Eren said.

Rias smiled before turning to face Natalia and Riser, who was now standing next to her.

"Shall we continue?" Natalia asked.

The two teams shot towards each other continuing their battle.

* * *

Koneko slammed her fist into Ile's torso, knocking her out as she dispersed in a shower of red particles.

"**Pawn of Riser Phenex has been eliminated!**" Naud announced.

"That's the last of the three," Koneko said. The arena shook as she turned to see flashes of red and orange. Koneko saw a light heading towards them. She saw Tatsuya standing unaware of it and pushed him out of the way before dodging herself.

The orange light rushed past them, exploding at the far end of the campus. Koneko felt the searing heat rush past them as the foliage caught fire.

"Rias-sama," Koneko said.

"What about Rias?" Tatsuya asked, walking towards her.

"We need to go now!" Koneko said, spreading her wings and taking off. The three nodded and followed after her, towards the school roof.

* * *

Akeno dodged another one of Yubelluna's blast spells, returning fire with a Holy Lightning javelin of her own. Yubelluna swung her staff, creating a large magic circle to block Akeno's attack.

"Take this!" Yubelluna said as she fired a large flaming sphere at her.

Akeno twisted her body out of the way and raised her hand. "It's times like these where I love that fact that I'm part Fallen Angel!" Akeno said as she began to condense her Holy Lightning around her. Akeno glowed gold as her Devil Wings transformed. Three more pairs of wings sprouted from her back.

Yubelluna hovered away from Akeno slightly as the holy aura began to burn her skin. The glow died down to reveal Akeno, who was now hovering in front of her with four pairs of black feathered wings. She grinned as her eyes flashed violet.

"I think I should end this match now," Akeno said.

Yubelluna floated there with a shocked look on her face. Akeno's power eclipsed that of hers and her King's. What stood before her was a being that was nearly on par with Cadre Class Fallen Angels.

"I guess I'll have to go all out too!" Yubelluna said as she raised her staff into the air. A large orange magic circle appeared and summoned a massive ball of flame about the size of a rig.

Akeno immediately readied a spell to defend herself. Yubelluna roared as she swung her staff in Akeno's direction. The flaming orb obeyed her command and flew towards Akeno.

Akeno responded by blasting the sphere with her Holy Lightning, hoping to cancel out the spell with her attack. However, Yubelluna's full power spell fought against Akeno's lightning blasts, pushing back against her. Akeno gritted her teeth as she poured more power into the attack, pushing the ball back.

"**It seems that you're struggling…**," a familiar voice entered Akeno's mind. She knew that voice. Her entire body screamed in fear at the sound of it however, no matter how hard she tried, Akeno could not remember where she had heard it from.

"**If this attack manages to overpower you, not that it would, you will be incapacitated and I cannot have that. You can never be too careful**," the voice said.

Akeno's eyes glowed yellow. A grin appeared on her face as she pumped more power into the lightning. A black aura enveloped her lightning blasts, amplifying its power.

Yubelluna watched in slight fear as her orb completely dispersed, shooting towards her. Yubelluna tried to dodge but felt herself being gripped by something. It felt like an invisible hand had wrapped itself around her.

Yubelluna screamed as she was engulfed in the lightning blasts. Her entire body was subjected to intense agony as the electricity overstimulated her nerves and began to char her skin. The pain eventually became too much for her and she passed out, dissolving in a shower of red lights.

"**Queen of Phenex has been eliminated!**" Naud announced. Mammon narrowed her eyes as she looked at Akeno through her screen. Her yellow eyes twinkled ominously as her mouth slightly opened in shock.

_That's… not possible. Is it?_ Mammon thought. Akeno turned towards the camera and Mammon's eyes widened. It was a split second that anyone would have passed off as a trick of the light but not to her. She was sure of it. That split-second flash of yellow in the girl's eyes.

_I need to tell Belphegor… we need to find Asmodeus_, Mammon thought.

Akeno turned towards the school roof where she saw two blurs battling in the sky as they rushed each other. She debated whether or not to maintain her Fallen Angel form before sighing and flying in their direction.

* * *

Rias dodged as Riser sent a flaming fist in her direction. She returned with her foot in his gut, sending him back a few inches.

Rias turned to see Natalia's fist being restrained by a wooden arm. Eren rushed over to Natalia and delivered a punch to her left cheek, sending his older sister back. He raised his hand and unleashed a repulsive blast, sending Natalia flying.

"RIAS-ONEESAMA!" Asia said. She formed a green and white magic circle and fired a blast of white energy at Riser, who was attempting to take advantage of Rias's distracted state.

Riser felt pain as the white energy pierced right through his shoulder, tearing through bone and muscle. He gnashed his teeth together as he gripped his right shoulder in pain.

"Nice try Riser!" Rias said as she formed a swirling sphere of black and red energy in her right hand.

"Not like this!" Riser said as he swung his leg. He coated his leg in flames the minute it came into contact with Rias's skin, burning her arm. He put more force into the kick, sending her crashing into the ground below.

"Now for the bishop," Riser said.

"ASIA!" Eren attempted to fly towards his girlfriend only to find himself unable to move. His eyes moved to see his older sister hovering behind him with her hand outstretched.

"GRAAGGH!" Eren attempted to break free of his older sister's telekinetic grip to no avail.

_NO! THIS CAN'T BE THE END! I HAVE TO HELP HER!_ Eren thought. The gem on his wrist band began to glow. A green aura erupted from Eren as he turned to his sister and glared.

Asia's eyes widened as she maintained her barrier to defend her from Riser's fire blasts.

"His Balance Breaker?" Asia said in slight shock.

A massive avatar manifested behind Eren and swung its arm, catching Natalia off-guard. She gasped in pain as she felt several of her ribs break from the impact. She crashed into the building, flying through several walls before landing in one of the classrooms.

Natalia's grip on Eren broke as Eren found himself being able to move again.

"A Balance Breaker?" Riser said as he stopped firing.

Eren looked down at his hands which were now encased in black gloves with white highlights and clenches his fist.

"Asia," Eren said.

Asia smiled. "What is it?" she asked.

"Let's finish this," Eren said.

Riser's eyes widened as he floated back. Eren advanced on Riser, his Battle Avatar reaching towards the Phenex.

As Eren was about to grab Riser, a pillar of violet energy erupted from the building. Eren turned around to see his older sister hovering in the light. Her form had changed and appeared like how she did when she fought the blonde devil who called herself Phenex.

"That wasn't very nice… Otouto-chan," Natalia said as her violet eyes glowed ominously. She raised one finger into the air and a small solar sphere formed above her finger.

"Well shit," Eren said, readying his avatar.

"EREN! ASIA!"

The two turned to see Rias flying up towards them. She grinned as her eyes glowed. "I'll take care of Natalia. I need you two to go after Riser."

"What!? Onee-san is in her Qliphoth Form! There's no way you can fight her!" Eren said.

"Don't worry…. I got a transformation of my own as well!" Rias gave him a thumbs up before turning to face Natalia. "Please… go. I'll try to stall for as long as I can."

"Eren… we can't change her mind once she puts herself to it," Asia said.

"...," Eren nodded and the two flew off to confront Riser.

Rias turned to Natalia, who had now dispersed her solar sphere and stared at Rias.

"So, you're going to fight me?" Natalia asked.

Rias grinned. "Yeah."

She summoned a series of magic circles that surrounded her. The magic circles began to glow as her miasma began to surge. The Power of Destruction began to surround her every form. Natalia narrowed her eyes as she felt Rias's power rising at an exponential rate.

"_Rias, this form you achieved during our training… you remember it right?" Sirzechs asked as she munched on a french fry._

"_Y- Yeah? I think…," Rias said, looking up at her older brother._

"_Well, this form you achieved was similar to mine where you took on the Power of Destruction and converted it into an aura that amplified all of your powers," Sirzechs said._

"_I see… so you think I can access it again?" Rias asked._

"_Without a doubt. With your Power of Sight combined with the Power of Destruction, I believe that you can create a new form of my Humanoid Aura of Destruction," Sirzechs said._

"_Hmmm… I see," Rias said, a grin slowly forming on her lips._

"_So? I see that look on your face. What is it?" Sirzechs asked._

"_I named Onii-sama. I'll call it…!"_

* * *

"**Null Dance: Goddess of Ruin**," Rias said as the aura relaxed. Her hair became like black and red flames, flickering and dancing in the air. Her body was covered in red markings that had the Power of Destruction coursing through them alongside another form of energy that Natalia couldn't identify. Rias opened her eyes to reveal her glowing red eyes.

"Goddess?" Natalia asked. "A bit conceited but…"

"**Knights of Riser Phenex has been eliminated! Pawns of Riser Phenex has been eliminated!**"

Natalia narrowed her eyes at Naud's announcement. "It seems that we've reached the endgame."

"Just shut up and fight," Rias said.

"Alright," Natalia said. She disappeared in a burst of speed, appearing behind Rias. Natalia attempted to kick Rias in the side of the head, only for Rias to block. Natalia's eyes widened when she felt her skin being corroded and leaped back.

She looked down and saw that there were black spots where her skin had been eaten away, exposing the dying muscle underneath.

"Corrosion?" Natalia asked.

"My new power that comes with my eyes has the power to corrode or break down matter by severing the atomic bonds between them. It's different from the Power of Destruction if you're wondering about their similarities. The Power of Destruction is about total annihilation. Null is more a slow decay into nothing," Rias said.

"I see," Natalia answered. "Then I guess that I'll have to keep my distance then…"

Natalia held up her hand and a violet sphere of energy manifested in front of her. Natalia fired it, forcing Rias to erect a barrier. Rias's eyes widened when her barrier nearly gave way underneath Natalia's attack.

Rias lowered the barrier to see Natalia's fist fill her vision as Rias was sent crashing into the remnants of Kuoh's third floor. Rias groaned as she rubbed her head, her vision swaying as she stood.

_Even in this form… she still has me outclassed?_ Rias thought. She looked up and saw a faint violet glow on Natalia's fist, healing her hand.

"So, even your skin and that aura around you can harm me…," Natalia said. "I was right when I said that I needed to keep my distance."

Natalia raised her pointer finger and drew a violet line of energy in front of her. Natalia thrust her palm into the line, causing it to shatter into fragments of iridescent lights that began to fire an endless torrent of energy at Rias.

Rias flew as fast as she could, avoiding the beams. She bit her lip as one of the beams grazed her shoulder, taking a chunk of her flesh as it flew by. Rias slowed and gripped her injured left shoulder, applying healing magic when a hail of violet energy beams shot towards her. Rias closed her eyes and raised her arm when she felt nothing. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a red magic circle in front of her.

"Ara ara Buchou. It seems that you're in a bit of a pickle here," Akeno said from behind her. Rias turned to see Akeno hovering alongside Koneko, Kiba, and Xenovia.

"Where are the others?" Rias asked.

"They went to go help Asia and Eren take care of Riser," Kiba said. Kiba looked at Natalia's demonic form hovering a distance away from them.

"It looks like you're in a bit of a pickle, Buchou," Koneko said as she began to glow. Koneko's age changed as her tail split apart into two tails. Her breasts became bigger and her hair longer.

Kiba closed his eyes and raised Gram in front of him and began going through a series of stances, a magic circle forming underneath him. Several humanoid draconic knights manifested around him, all wielding demonic blades.

Xenovia tightened her grip on Ex-Durandal and channeled her power, summoning a beautiful blade with a stainless blade. Its hilt was gold with gems embedded into the hilt. The hilt was also decorated with intricate designs that no one knew the meaning of but glowed following Xenovia's will.

"Dual wielding… Durandal and… Excalibur?" Natalia tilted her head upon seeing Xenovia's swords.

"I've always wanted to fight you," Akeno said as lightning arced off her body.

"Akeno, we need to attack her together," Rias said. Akeno nodded.

Natalia narrowed her eyes before disappearing from their very sight. Everyone immediately went on guard as they stood back to back, scanning their surroundings for any sign of the Naamah House Head.

Every hair on the back of their necks stood on end as they scattered. Natalia appeared between all of them. Xenovia swung her sword, forcing Natalia to dodge. She raised her arm and coated it in violet energy as Kiba's sword Gram swung towards her. She blocked the blade which was quickly cutting through her energy blade. She kicked him away before using her telekinesis to throw Xenovia into the building.

Akeno charged her holy lightning and fired it all at once towards Natalia. Natalia grinned and raised her hand, using her Tetralogy to cause the lightning to split into several streams that all hit different areas of the building.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Natalia appeared instantly in front of Akeno, catching her off guard. She brought her fist down only for it to be blocked by Rias. Rias formed a sphere of destruction in her free hand and slammed it into Natalia.

The sphere exploded, sending Rias and Akeno back.

* * *

Eren and Asia fought against Riser as he threw fireball after fireball at them. Asia responded by forming a massive multi-layered barrier that dispersed the orbs. Eren used his Battle Avatar to attack Riser, forcing the Phenex to dodge.

"Take this!" Riser created a massive fireball as large as the Old School Building and threw it at them.

Suddenly, a beam of blue energy cut through the air, impacting the fireball with equal force and caused it to disperse.

"Rossweisse!" Asia looked behind them and saw Rossweisse with her wand pointed at Riser. Next to her were Gasper, Tatsuya, Yuu, and Hiruko.

Tatsuya sent Riser a cocky grin. "Are you guys really having a hard time with him?"

"Tatsuya, he's a High-Class Devil," Eren said, trying to warn him. Tatsuya aimed his gauntlets and unleashed a fireblast at Riser, ignoring Eren's warnings.

Riser countered with his fireblast, easily dispersing Tatsuya's flaming orb. Yuu raised his hand and created a barrier. Rossweisse raised her wand and stacked on Yuu's barrier, deflecting Riser's fireball.

"Gasper!" Gasper nodded and activated his Sacred Gear, freezing Riser in place. "NOW!"

Eren nodded and began to chant. A small iridescent sphere surrounded by a black and violet aura began forming in his palm. He turned to Asia and she nodded, placing her hands in front of her and chanting alongside Eren.

"**I invoke you, Lord of Power**," Eren said as the sphere grew larger.

"**I invoke you, Lady of Kindness**," Asia chanted.

"**Please grant me the power to bring forth justice to this sinful world!**" Eren chanted.

"**Please grant me the power to showcase mercy to those who have sinned!**" Asia said.

"**Please grant us the power to unite the Upper and Lower Forces of Life and purify the ones the Almighty has forsaken!**"

Asia and Eren were surrounded by green and white auras respectively.

"**Zer Anpin!**"

The sphere shot forth from them, barrelling towards Riser at an incredible speed. Riser responded in kind, unleashing an immensely powerful torrent of hellfire that halted the sphere's advance. Riser pushed back, pouring all of his power into the attack. Asia and Eren's eyes widened as Riser was slowly pushing them back.

* * *

Rias dodged as Natalia swiped her hand, sending a wave of violet energy that sliced apart the remainder of Kuoh Highschool and carved a massive trench in the ground that Rias could not see a bottom of.

A massive surge of power and light all forced them to pause and look towards the direction that Riser was fighting the other members of her peerage.

Natalia paused and stared at it.

"Akeno," Rias whispered. "I'll go and help the others."

Akeno nodded and sent hand signals to Xenovia and Kiba. The two glanced at each other and nodded. Kiba showed her the flat of Gram's blade. Xenovia hopped on it and Kiba swung the sword, launching Xenovia towards Natalia.

"**CROSS CRISIS!**" Xenovia swung both Durandal and True Excalibur at once, amplifying their holy powers to their absolute max. Natalia's eyes widened as a massive yellow cross flew towards her. Natalia reacted quickly, disassembling herself to avoid the attack.

Taking advantage of this, Rias darted off towards Eren and the others. She arrived to see Riser pushing back Eren and Asia. Rossweisse was supporting them, adding her magical energy to the blast but Riser's Phenex Stamina might end up becoming the winning factor in this deadlock.

Having no choice but to reveal one of her new techniques, Rias raised her hand into the air and created a massive magic circle.

"I was hoping to save this for my match against Issei in the Finals but…," Rias said. "HEY! KFC!"

Riser looked up and saw Rias right above him with her hand raised above her head.

"CAN YOUR FAMILY POWER OF SEVEN HERBS AND SEVEN SPICES DEFLECT THIS!?" Rias yelled. _Issei really rubbed off on me_, she added as an afterthought.

"What!?" Riser yelled.

"EVERYONE! MOVE!" Rias yelled. Eren and Asia's eyes widened at her words and immediately canceled their spell, flying out of the way as Riser's flame blast flew past them. Everyone was able to move except for Tatsuya, who had moved too late and was caught in the blast.

"**Ooh! How unfortunate! That marks the first loss for Gremory Peerage! Pawn of Rias Gremory has been eliminated!**" Naud announced.

Hiruko slapped his forehead in annoyance. Tatsuya's arrogance was really becoming annoying. It was to the point where he compared himself to one of the strongest beings that Rias had told them about, the God Shiva.

"**LIGHT OF RUIN!**" Rias threw her hand down and engulfed Riser in a pillar of red light. Riser screamed as the combination of Null and the Power of Destruction began to eat away at him. The pain began to become too much as he realized that if he kept reforming, Rias's spell would constantly eat him. A pain he could not last under.

"I RETIRE!" Riser called as his body dissolved in a shower of red lights.

Rias's form gave out as she returned to her base state and slowly descended to the ground, panting. She looked up at the others and gave them a thumbs-up as she heard Naud's announcement.

"**Riser Phenex has retired! Victory goes to Team Rias Gremory!**"

Rias smiled as she and her peerage were teleported out of the arena.

_I'll wait for you in the Main Stage, Issei_, Rias thought as she dissolved in a shower of red lights.

* * *

"Hoo? This Gremory Girl is strong huh?" a woman with black hair said. She wore a red shirt that showed her toned stomach. On her ears were gold earrings with an emerald gem. Her dark eyes glanced over at her companion as she sent her a cocky grin.

"Hmmm…," was the response she got.

"Come on Kali! At least show some excitement!" she said.

Kali sipped her tea and placed the cup down. Kali was a beautiful woman who had the appearance of a young girl. She had long waist-length blue-violet hair with royal purple eyes. Her skin was lighter than what you would expect from a god from her region. She wore a black and white gothic lolita dress with a large lavender ribbon at the neck.

"No one here is worthy Durga. Well, there's a few like that bastard Indra, the Cadre Baraqiel, Typhon, and the Dragon Emperors but her... maybe," Kali said.

A beeping noise was heard in the room as Kali raised her hand. Her scroll flew into it as she tapped the screen. It was an alert. An alert telling her who her next opponent was. She smiled savagely when she saw the name.

_Team Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth_

_Led by Issei Hyoudou_

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Rhongomyniad: ****Thanks for pointing out my mistake again! Also, Rias can fight by herself now due to her training with Sirzechs and her father. Not that she couldn't before but she doesn't need Issei to enter a powerful form anymore. If she wants to sync with someone after this, she can still sync with Gasper to access her Forbidden Invade: Balor the Princess but she will mostly rely on her Goddess of Ruin. There will be an improvement to her Goddess of Ruin in the future.**

**AnimeFan0216: I see that you are a man of culture as well.**

**Scrumblenut: Her Power of Sight was originally meant for another fic that I was going to write but scrapped the idea for that and put it in the rewrite.**

* * *

**Sorry again for the really late update. Until the semester ends, I can't do anything about this other than try and get you guys the best quality update that I can. Well then, I hope you're all entertained by this. Kali vs Issei is next so stick around for that! Remember to review and to have a great day/night or not the choice is yours!**


	23. The Goddess of Destruction Part I

**Hello! After wrestling with the idea in my head and writing in what free time I have to relax, I have decided that this chapter shall be split into two parts. After all, this is Issei's toughest match and it should be given the justice it is due. So, after a week of studying and writing, we now come to the end of the semester. After this week, I will be able to return to normal posting so yea!**

* * *

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Japanese Blacklight Base, Kegon Falls, Japan, February 16, 2020**

* * *

Issei sighed as he swiped through another page of notes. He rubbed his temples and saw someone place a cup of tea next to him.

"Are you doing alright there, Kouhai-chan?"

Issei turned to his right and saw Rikka leaning on his desk, smiling as she sipped a cup of coffee. Her red eyes shined with a knowing glint as she looked at the files that were open on his hard light screen.

"No… I can't figure this out," Issei said. "Everything I've read about the notes concerning Sacred Gears with beings sealed inside of them has led to a dead end. Nothing's working up and my understanding on the Enochian that was woven into the gear is less than satisfactory."

"You're stuck?" Rikka asked as she hopped off the table.

"Yeah," Issei said.

Rikka looked at Issei's screen and whistled before laughing. Issei turned around and gave her a pout which made her laugh even harder.

"What!?" Issei asked.

"You're looking at old sources of information. Come on," Rikka beckoned for him to follow her. Issei sighed and took his AS off its connector and followed her.

"You need more recent sources of information. The sources you were looking at were from post and pre-Great War. There are sources from more recent times," Rikka said as she walked down the hall.

"I looked at those too. Most were just notes on various types of Magitech and references to the American Blacklight Chapter Head at the time," Issei said.

"Ariel Thorston right?" Rikka asked as she opened a door with her AS.

**[That name sounds familiar for some reason]** Ddraig said.

"Yeah," Issei said as he followed her into a room. The room was different from the main portion of the Blacklight Database Room. This room was much smaller, about half the size of the main room. There were hard light screens and rows of desks with several agents who wore different uniforms than those outside sitting behind them. Issei marveled at the amount of information circulating through those screens.

"This is what I liked to call the private study room. I'm surprised you've never used it. The outside is usually for basic and surface-level information that we store here. Most people who do research do their research here provided that they have the proper clearance," Rikka said.

"Clearance?" Issei asked.

"Yes, most agents have different clearance levels. Basic and Intermediate Level Clearances. We're going to be using my AS for this. We will be accessing the notes of a Blacklight Chapter Head after all," Rikka said as she chose a terminal away from everyone else. She placed her AS into the dent.

_Welcome Black Snow_

_Logging in…._

_Loading_

_Loading_

_Accessing Ariel Thorston Files_

"Here ya go," Rikka said.

"No way… she was… a Dragon Emperor?" Issei said, reading over her files.

**[Ahh, I know her. Now I know why it seemed so familiar. She was the White Dragon of her time and killed one of my wielders with a scythe]** Ddraig said.

"Ddraig says that she killed the Red Dragon Emperor of her time with a scythe," Issei said.

"Yeah, it's called the First MagiTech and one of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal. The Last Breath. Unfortunately, no one except for anyone descended from her can use it because her soul signature or someone bearing a similar one is required to use it," Rikka explained.

"Woah…," Issei looked at all the information that popped up regarding Ariel Thorston. A picture of a woman with pale blonde hair and ice-blue eyes appeared on the screen. She wore a black coat. A large brooch with a green gem decorated her neck and collar while a black hat was atop her head. The ever-present black sun of Blacklight was seen engraved into her brooch's gem. To Issei, she looked like one of those old military captains from Period Movies. He began perusing her notes when he found a title of interest.

_Cracking the Longinus_

Issei clicked it and his eyes widened. He looked at Rikka, who was also staring in shock at the screen.

"This is it!" Issei said, grinning. Inside the Gear, Ddraig and Tiamat glanced at each other and shared a wide fanged grin.

* * *

**February 21, 2020, Hyoudou House, 9:00 AM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 43 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Issei sat at the table of his house's dining room, going over strategies when a person walked into the room. He glanced up and saw Irina and Rikka at the door. The two walked in and sat down on the table as Issei smiled. Rikka glanced at Issei's notes and nodded while Irina looked between the two suspicious.

"So, what are the papers for?" Irina asked.

"It's for a surprise I have planned for the Azazel Cup. The other teams won't even see it coming and to keep it that way, I won't even tell you guys!" Issei said.

"Except for Rikka-senpai," Irina clarified.

"Actually, I don't know if he actually succeeded. I'm just as in the dark as you," Rikka said, sipping her tea.

Issei felt his scroll vibrate as he pulled it out. A notification popped up on his screen. He sighed and clicked it. The contents of the notification appeared on his screen and his blood ran cold.

_Team Kalpa_

_Led by Kali_

"Issei? What's wrong?" Rikka asked.

"Our next opponent… is the Hindu Goddess of Destruction, Kali," Issei said.

The sound of breaking glass caused Issei and Irina to look at Rikka, whose eyes were wide. Her teacup had shattered to pieces and Rikka's hand was bleeding as some of the shards embedded themselves into her palm.

"Did you say… Kali?" Rikka asked.

"Yeah," Issei said. "Do you know her or something?"

"I've heard of her… from stories and myths. And my mother knew her before she… before she died," Rikka said.

"Did Kali…?" Irina trailed off, not wanting to finish the question.

"No… my mom died because she was murdered," Rikka said. "And… Kali might know who killed her."

"I see… what do you want to wish for when we win?" Issei asked.

"To find whoever killed my mother and bring them to justice… something Lord Indra never did," Rikka said, saying the final part silently.

Irina and Issei looked at each other before nodding. Irina reached over and placed her hand over Rikka's. She smiled.

"We'll help you get your wish… just like we will for everyone else," Irina said.

"T- Thank you," Rikka smiled at her. "You're a good kouhai."

"It's a kouhai's duty to help her senpai when she needs it right?" Irina asked.

Issei smiled at the sight. He looked down at his screen and sighed as he clicked on Team Kalpa.

_**Team Kalpa**_

_**King: Kali**_

_**Queen: Durga**_

_**Knight: Varuna**_

_**Knight: Rama**_

_**Bishop: Kamadeva**_

_**Rook: Surya**_

_**Pawn: Sita**_

Issei read over the names and recognized only a few of them. Kali was the first name he recognized. And who didn't? She was the Goddess of Destruction from the Hindu Pantheon. The Eldest Child of Shiva and Parvati and one of the only Gods in the world who could tell Indra off and live. She was a terrifying existence to other beings but none more so than to beings who called themselves Evil. Her title is the Purifier. The Destroyer of Evil and her blade was coated in the blood of Asuras and other evil beings alike. Of all the people on this team, she was the most dangerous and powerful of them all.

The other name that he recognized was Durga. She was the Hindu Goddess of War and that was as much as Issei knew about her. Other than that, Issei had seen their games and witnessed Durga single-handedly wipe out an entire team of Ultimate Class Beings with only minor injuries that could quickly heal with her deity physiology.

"So… know who we're up against?" Irina asked.

"Well… only a few. I'm not really as versed in Hinduism as I'd want to be…," Issei said.

"Let me see," Rikka said. Issei nodded and slid her the scroll.

"Rama. He's a hero from the famous Ramayana. To think that Kali has the authority to pull him from death… anyway, Rama fought a war against the Demon King Ravana for fourteen years with the help of the Monkey Lord Hanuman. His wife, Lady Sita, seems to be in this as well. I can only imagine the amount of begging that Kali had to go through to get Rama and Sita from Vishnu-sama," Rikka said. She looked down at the next name.

"Kamadeva-sama is the Hindu God of Love and Compassion. Legends state that Shiva-sama incinerated him with his Third Eye after Kama shot him with an arrow, rousing him from slumber at the behest of Parvati-sama," Rikka said.

"Doesn't look so dead to me," Issei said.

"Quite… that was probably just a…," Rikka began.

"Misinterpreted tale? Like the Devils and Souls thing?" Issei asked.

Rikka nodded.

"Surya is the God of the Sun and a Vasu. The most literal interpretation I can give you is that he's a member of Indra's court. He is one of the two beings we need to look out for other than Kali and Durga," Rikka said.

"Which leads us to our second Vasu, Varuna, the God of Water… and my…," Rikka trailed off.

"My?" Irina asked.

"He's my uncle," Rikka said.

Issei and Irina's eyes widened at her words. That meant that she… she was a demigod.

"Your Uncle…. But Varuna is Indra's brother… does that mean that Indra is your…?" Issei began.

"No… I will never associate myself with him. And Indra isn't my father by the way," Rikka said. "Just drop it for now. We'll talk more about my family heritage after the match and how I'm related to Indra and Varuna."

"So what does Varuna do?" Irina asked.

"Varuna is the God of Water and wields the Varunastra. A weapon rumored to be capable of releasing torrential volumes of water capable of submerging an area as large as the Indian Subcontinent in water," Rikka said. "He also wields a noose known as the Varunapasha… a weapon capable of ensnaring even the Gods in its hold."

"So what do we do?" Issei asked.

Rikka placed a hand on her chin. She closed her eyes, deep in thought as she began to think of ways to counteract such a powerhouse of a team.

_Team Kalpa… they have plowed through all of their competition without losing a single member on their team. And in every fight, Kali hasn't even moved from her spot… which means we know nothing about her as a fighter but the others…_, Rikka thought. She looked up at Issei and Irina who were eyeing her expectantly. She sighed as she looked at them.

"Go get everyone… I think I might have a plan," Rikka said.

Irina nodded as she left the room, leaving Issei alone with Rikka. Rikka rubbed her forehead before opening her mouth.

"Before everyone gets here, I'm going to be straight with you. Our chances of winning this match is very low. We'll need some sort of miracle to pull a win here Issei. This isn't Thor or Agares or the others we've fought. This is Kali. She is one of the most powerful Gods in the World and rumor has it that she's as powerful as Indra… perhaps even more so," Rikka said.

"_Mastema… what do you think of all this?"_ Issei asked.

**(...)**

Issei sighed internally. _"Ddraig? Tiamat?"_ Issei moved on to them.

**[Honestly… she's right. There is a very slim chance of us attaining victory but… that's what they said when we went up against Trihexa. Those odds were worse than what we have now. I think we can pull it off… hopefully]** Ddraig said.

**|Yes. The Apocalypse Beast was much more of a challenge than Kali ever will from the stories that Ddraig told me. That means we can pull this off but you'll need to be strategic about it|** Tiamat said.

"Rikka, what's this strategy of yours?" Issei asked.

As she was about to speak, the door opened and Irina walked in with everyone else. Rikka smiled as everyone sat down at the table.

"Alright, Issei… everyone, pay attention because this plan's going to get complicated," Rikka said. She reached for Issei's scroll.

"May I?" Rikka asked.

Issei nodded and allowed her to take it. She clicked it and looked for footage of Kali's matches. She pulled out her AS and tapped it, causing several thin wires to extend and attach to Issei's scroll. Her AS whirred as it projected an image of Kali's matches.

"So basically… here's what we're going to do," Rikka said.

* * *

**February 22, 2020, 11:30 AM, Ajuka Stadium**

* * *

Issei sighed as he waited to be teleported into the arena with the others. Rikka was sitting against the wall, sharpening her sword with a whetstone while Bova stood next to her.

Irina was fidgeting with her new bracelets. Bracelets he had never seen before. They technically resembled wristbands more than anything. The wristbands were different colors. The band on her left wrist was black with white highlights and contained a blue gem on the side of the band that was facing the same direction as the back of her hand. The right band was white with black highlights and like its left counterpart, it had a blue gem located on the side that the back of the hand was. While Issei was one hundred percent sure that Irina would never do anything like that to him, a part of him couldn't help but wonder where she got them from.

"Hey, Irina… where did you get the bracelets from?" Issei asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"These? I had them made. I'm sorry but I wanted them to be surprised so I made a couple of trips down to Blacklight HQ in secret," Irina smiled sheepishly.

"So that's…," Issei asked.

"MagiTech? Yeah! I call them **[Heaven's Twilight]**," Irina said.

"Huh," Issei said.

"What they do is a secret! Can't give away one of our newest trump cards!" Irina winked at him.

"**Are we ready for today's match folks? Because if you are, we have a treat for you. This might be the greatest mismatch we've had ever! I hope you all bet on the right team because this match is about to knock you off your seats! Without further adieu, let's introduce the competing teams!**

"**ON ONE SIDE! We have a fan favorite! Led by the Oppai Dragon himself! TEAM MIDNIGHT DRAGON EMPEROR OF CRIMSON TRUTH!**"

An image of Issei appeared on the screen earning shouts and cries of praise from the audience, both at the stadium and at home. Issei sighed when he heard it. It made him more determined to slash the alias Oppai Dragon from anything associated with him forever. That would be his wish.

"**And on the opposing side. This might be the team that destroys Team Midnight Dragon! They have participated in every match and never lost a team member. The undefeated team from the Hindu Pantheon. Team Kalpa! Led by the Daughter of Shiva, the God of Destruction, and Parvati, the Goddess of Power, KALI! GODDESS OF TIME AND DESTRUCTION!**" Naud announced.

Issei narrowed his eyes in anticipation as he saw the image of a woman with violet-blue hair and dull violet eyes appear on the screen.

"So that's Kali," Mitsuki asked as she stared at the image.

"I've heard stories of Lady Kali… she killed two Asuras that were heading for Lord Vishnu in the distant past and is known to have a close friendship and rivalry with the Titans Helios and Selene, and the Egyptian Goddess of Order Ma'at," Vasco said.

"**Without further adieu, LET US BEGIN!**" Naud announced.

Issei gave them all one last smile as they were teleported into the arena.

Kali sat atop a pillar with her eyes closed. Their base was the ruins of what appeared to be a temple dedicated to a famous figure. The destroyed bust of what must have been the owner of this temple as well as pieces of the statue was scattered everywhere. Portions of the roof and ceiling were caved in. Some words in Latin were carved into the throne of the building. The tattered remains of what appeared to be the American flag lay on the floor. Kali opened her eyes and looked at Durga, who was waiting for her along with the rest of her team.

"Find them. And eliminate them. Except for the Red Dragon. The Red Dragon is mine… if any of you touch him… I will retire you from this game," Kali said.

They gulped and nodded.

"Ever the fighter huh," Durga said, shaking her head.

Kali's face morphed into a smile. "I want to see if he's all he's cracked up to be… and furthermore, I want to confirm something for myself," Kali said. Images of a woman with white hair appeared in her mind.

"Suit yourself," Durga said as she and the others flew off to find Issei and the others.

* * *

Issei and the others looked around. From what they could gather, they were in a war-torn city. The buildings around them were either collapsed or on fire. Smoke rose into the air, blocking out an illusory sun. There were destroyed military vehicles everywhere. The smell of gasoline forced them all to cover their eyes as they took in the sight.

Issei walked around and kicked the tail of a crashed attack helicopter. He saw a broken white obelisk that was hundreds of feet tall. A piece of a jet's wing was embedded at the top. Issei looked up and saw the burnt remains of what appeared to be the American Flag billowing atop a flagpole.

"We're in DC… or what used to be DC," Vasco said. He glanced over and saw a massive unknown machine. It was made of a metal that he didn't recognize. The color of it was dark-chrome with green. The machine had multiple legs and had what he assumed were turrets.

"This is ripped off from _Independence Day_," Rikka said as she kicked over a piece of metal. There was an alien-looking figure that appeared both insectoid and reptilian at the same time.

"So we're in DC in the movie _Independence Day_?" Issei asked. "Who came up with the themes for these?"

In the stands, Azazel sneezed.

"Right… remember Rikka's plan. We don't split up. We fight them together. It's more than likely that Kali has already split her peerage to hunt us down so everyone stay together," Issei said.

They all nodded. The group began to move out as a single unit, keeping an eye out for any of Kali's peerage members. Issei gave Irina and Bova the go-ahead to take to the skies to look out for any potential danger. Issei took point while Mitsuki took the rear.

"See anything?" Issei asked over the CC.

_(Nothing yet…)_ Irina said.

"We have nothing down here too," Issei said.

"Aniki, we should've encountered one of them by now," Mitsuki said as she had her energy blades ready. Vasco and Rikka remained silent as they kept watch while Tohka, Mica, and Ingvild had their weapons and spells on standby in case of any trouble.

_(Issei… get ready. I'm sensing… a whole group of people heading our way…)_ Irina said.

**[It seems that sticking together has turned all of you into a single target. All of Kali's team is advancing on you.]** Ddraig said.

**|Hmmm, you still have the element of surprise. You and your team have grown since the last one and your trump card might be the game saver|** Tiamat said.

"Guys… they're coming," Issei said as he summoned the **[|Boosted Gear|]**.

Vasco drew Durandal II. Rikka sighed and drew Obsidian Rite and a second sword that Issei had never seen before. The sword was red in color. The blade was curved in a way that made it appear serpentine. The guard appeared to be flame-like and there was a red gem on the pommel. Issei blinked when he saw the blade.

"Where did you get that?" Issei asked.

"I've always had it. I just never used it until this match I guess. I mean I've used it in the past but only as a last resort and this seems like a last resort," Rikka said.

"Issei," Ingvild said. She summoned a few water snakes and sent them ahead. She closed her eyes as an image of a man with blue hair and dark skin heading in their direction. The man had eyes as blue as the sea itself. He wore white robes and had a spear-like weapon in his left hand.

"I see a lone figure heading here," Ingvild said.

"What does he look like?" Issei asked.

"Blue hair, white robes, blue eyes, and holds a spear," Ingvild said.

"That sounds like Varuna," Tohka added.

"Shit," Rikka said. "And from the looks of it… he has Varunastra ready."

"Wait… someone else is there too… A woman wearing a red shirt. She has black hair and a pair of green earrings," Ingvild added.

"Durga," Rikka said.

"The Goddess of War and the God of the Ocean is coming here for us? Heh, this is going to be the toughest fight of my life," Vasco said as he stiffened.

Issei looked up to see Irina drawing her sword and swinging it. As she did, she split a light beam in half, causing it to scatter and hit two different buildings on their street. Two people, a man, and a woman appeared in front of them. The man had orange hair and scarlet eyes along with tan skin. He wore a sleeveless shirt with a chest plate that was split into three sections. He wore black trousers that seemingly linked to his boots which had three rings at the top.

The woman next to him had scarlet hair and tanned skin with light orange eyes. Her hair was styled in the same manner as Irina's and she wore a tan dress over a black sleeveless top that stopped halfway above her torso, showing her midriff. Her dress parted at her chest. She wore a black skirt and boots that covered half of her lower leg. On her back was an orange and black intricately designed bow.

"Hello, Red Dragon," the man said. "I am Rama. Knight of Lady Kali. I was pulled from Vaikuntha by Lady Kali with Vishnu-sama's permission to allow me and Sita to participate in these games."

"He is right, Lord Red Dragon. I am Sita, the pawn of Lady Kali and temporary wielder of Sharanga," the now-named Sita said bowing.

"Issei," Rikka said. "Be careful. Those two wield Astras granted to them by Brahma-sama and Vishnu-sama. The Brahmastra and the Sharanga."

"Right," Issei said.

**[|Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker|]**

"I'm sorry if you intend to fight us Red Dragon but Lady Kali gave us strict orders not to touch you," Sita said as she knocked an arrow into Sharanga. "Your friends, however, are free game."

"I'm leaving them behind," Issei said.

"Unfortunately, you have no choice."

Issei looked up and saw a woman hovering in midair. Her earrings glinted in the light as she crossed her arms and grinned at Issei.

"Durga, right?" Issei asked.

"We have been ordered not to fight you by our King. So you can stay here and watch us eliminate your friends or take advantage of the fact that you'll be fighting our king alone without any interference whatsoever," Durga said.

"Issei," he turned around and saw Irina land behind him. She grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "We'll be fine. Go. We'll keep them busy and hold them to their promise."

"Irina," Issei said.

"Don't worry about us," Tohka said. "Now go!"

Issei closed his eyes and nodded. A pair of wings erupted from his back as he took off and flew towards Durga. He floated across from her, his hazel eyes staring into her dark ones. The Goddess grinned before she pointed with her thumb towards a large Parthenon-like building.

"If you're looking for Kali, she's over there. She's waiting for you, Red Dragon," Durga said.

Issei glared at her through the visor of the Balance Breaker's helmet and nodded before jetting off in the direction Durga pointed. After Issei had left, Durga looked down and eyed Irina and the others.

"I hope you know that we won't go down without putting up a fight right? We may not be from the Hindu Pantheon but that doesn't mean we're weak," Irina said as she summoned Hauteclere to her hand. Her wrist bands glowed and transformed into bracers.

"Oh I count on it however I think you've miscalculated something when you said that you have no one from our pantheon on your team," Durga said.

Irina went silent and glanced over at her teammates. She noticed three men behind Durga. One of them was how Ingvild described him as. A man with long flowing blue hair and wore blue and white robes. In his left hand was an intricately designed spear that had the texture and appearance of flowing water. He was Varuna, the Hindu God of the Seas.

The man next to him was impossibly beautiful. He had white hair and charming orange eyes that made her nearly feel weak at the knees. He wore a sleeveless pink vest and white trousers. However, the way he eyed her and the other female members of her team made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Kama, stop looking at them," Varuna said. Kama pouted.

"But Varuna, look at the black-haired one! Doesn't she look like someone we know?" Kama asked.

Rikka frowned as a man with scarlet hair and orange eyes looked at her. The chakram behind him spun as he narrowed his eyes.

"She does…," he said.

"See! Even Surya agrees with me!" Kama said.

"We can ask them later after the match," Durga said.

Irina stiffened as she saw Durga summon two scimitars out of thin air. The scimitars began to crackle with red energy as Kali's team began to advance on them.

"Whatever happens… we fight and don't give them a single inch!" Irina said as her halo flared.

"RIGHT!"

Durga grinned as she charged towards Irina. She raised her scimitar and brought it down on the reincarnated angel. Irina brought Hauteclere up to block but was forced to one knee from the sheer force of the blow. She gritted her teeth as she moved to the side, sending Durga to her right. She brought her leg up and tripped the Goddess.

Durga's eyes widened as she caught herself and saw Irina madly slashing at her. She grinned and parried one of Irina's slashes sending the girl stumbling back. Durga went in for a finishing blow when Rikka appeared between the two and caught Durga's sword in between Obsidian Rite and her second sword.

"Oh?" Durga was intrigued. Rikka glared at her and opened her mouth. She unleashed a breath of scarlet flames which caught Durga off guard. She screamed as she stumbled back, trying to put out the flames.

"Rikka?" Irina looked at her and saw a faint orange glint in the girl's eyes.

"Don't hold back Irina," Rikka said.

Irina nodded and flew into the air. She raised her hand and unleashed a hail of light spears that locked on to the energy signatures of Kali's team members.

"MOVE!" Mitsuki yelled as she slammed her foot into Rama's gut. Rama choked a bit as Mitsuki jumped out of the way. Bova grabbed Sita by the arm and threw her into Rama as the two were bombarded with light spears.

Surya kicked back Vasco as he took to the air. He looked back and saw fifteen light spears following him, causing him to increase his speed. He stopped and summoned a spear to his hand.

"Om… Surya Devaay Namah… Hiranyagarbha!" Surya swung the spear, sending a massive wave of flames towards the light spears obliterating them. The wave traveled towards Irina, whose eyes widened.

"Tohka!" Mica said as he knocked back Varuna.

Tohka nodded and kicked Kama into Ingvild, who summoned a massive water dragon that engaged the God. Tohka held her hand out towards Irina and swapped places with her.

"**Pandora!**" Tohka forms a massive barrier of shadows and light that suck in Surya's flames. The barrier shatters, forcing Tohka to dodge as a massive portion of the city is engulfed in flames.

She looked up at the God, who floated calmly in the air. Surya raises his hand and creates a spear of flames and throws it at Tohka. Tohka moved out of the way, barely avoiding the spear and flew towards Surya.

"**Code: Ketus! Form Change: Code Eos!**" Tohka's armor glowed as it began to cover her. Tohka's face is covered in a metal helmet with a red visor. Metallic wings erupt from the back of her suit with jet thrusters that shot red flames. She sped towards the god and summoned a large sword. Tohka swung it down, forcing Surya to block.

"So, you had this form on you?" Surya asked. He placed his palm on her armored torso and fired a blast of flames that sent her crashing into a building. Tohka looked up and saw a red beam of energy heading for her.

She rolled out of the way as the building and everything behind it was decimated.

Mica landed in front of her.

"You alright?" he asked. She nodded.

"Ingvild?" Tohka asked.

Mica glanced over at Ingvild, who was assisting Irina atop a massive Dragon.

"So… Varuna and Surya?" Mica said. Tohka nodded.

The two grinned before darting towards the Gods and engaging them in combat.

Mitsuki and Risa stood back to back as Sita raised her bow into the air and fired, unleashing a hail of arrows on them. Mitsuki and Risa formed a dual-layered barrier, deflecting the arrows.

Sita knocked an arrow and fired it, shattering the combined barriers of Risa and Mitsuki.

Risa narrowed her eyes at the weapon.

"Her arrow… shattered our barriers," Mitsuki said.

"The Sharanga…," Risa said. "The Divine Bow of Vishnu-sama… the only equal of the Pinaka, one of the Astras of Shiva-sama."

Mitsuki gritted her teeth and eyed Sita. Sita knocked another arrow and fired. Mitsuki's hand glowed as she invoked Telos Karma, summoning a green wristband to her right arm. She forced a change in probability on the arrow, causing it to miss.

"**Crossed Fates: Form Verdandi!"** Mitsuki announced as she activated her Sacred Gear's Balance Breaker. Mitsuki's form glowed blue as her attire changed. Mitsuki became clad in a green and white dress with black leggings. A pair of clocks appeared behind her with metallic golden feathers. A large wheel floated in behind the clocks spinning lazily as Mitsuki's eyes glowed.

"Are you going to?" Risa asked.

"Yeah… I'll try to knock her out to at least give our team a lead," Mitsuki said. She spread her wings and sped towards Sita. Sita's eyes widened as Mitsuki shot past her, arm extended and an energy blade coating it. Sita felt pain in her side as her hand gripped it. She turned to see Mitsuki raising her hand in front of her.

"**Moonshadow Be-!**" Mitsuki twisted her body out of the way as Rama appeared next to her. He swung Brahmastra, carving a massive trench in the arena. Mitsuki aimed her Moonshadow Beam, hitting Rama point-blank. She darted back, eyeing the smoke cloud. Rama swung his blade, clearing the smoke.

Vasco and Bova flew up behind him.

"Mitsuki, go help Irina," Vasco said.

"...," Mitsuki eyed him and nodded. She turned and spread her wings to fly off, but not before giving Vasco a grin. He smiled back and gripped Durandal II tightly. Rama swung Brahmastra, forcing Vasco to dodge. Vasco slammed Durandal II into Brahmastra, sending Rama sliding back. Rama grinned and charged back in as the two engaged in a deadly dance. Sparks flew everywhere as their blades clashed with each other.

"These... guys are tough!" Bova said.

"Bova focus!" Risa said as she rushed in to help Vasco.

As Mitsuki flew towards Durga and Irina, a massive wave of power forced her to look in the direction her brother flew off in. A massive pillar of red light was seen clashing with a pillar of white.

"Aniki…," Mitsuki said.

* * *

Issei flew towards a ruined memorial building and landed on the walkway. He had recognized this place from pictures on the internet and movies that had taken place in this city. This is, or was the Lincoln Memorial. Issei turned and saw the head of President Lincoln on the side, clearly having been removed from the statue itself. The charred chassis of a tank stood by the stairs where he saw her.

A woman sat on the lap of the Lincoln Statue. He felt her gaze pierce right through him as she opened her royal purple eyes. Her violet-blue hair blew in the breeze as she stood up. She hopped off and landed, dusting off her black gothic lolita dress. She was a lot shorter than Issei expected her to be. For someone with the title of Goddess of Destruction, he expected something a bit more.

"Issei Hyoudou, strange… I expected someone of your reputation to be a bit… older," Kali said as her dull eyes looked at him.

"Thank you though if I may Kali-sama, I expected someone a bit taller," Issei said.

"Cute," Kali said as she walked down the steps.

"So why'd you call me here?" Issei asked. "Are you going to profess your undying love that you were secretly harboring?"

"No," Kali said. "I called you here to fight you myself."

"W- Wait… isn't that a big risk?" Issei asked.

"Yes… it is but I'm not in this for anything. Whatever wishes I may want I can grant myself," Kali said.

"That's one way of looking at it… I guess you're just here to fight then?" Issei asked.

"Of course. Seeking strong opponents is my goal in this fight and you have intrigued me. To defeat Thor… a deity considered to be in the Top Ten Strongest Existences is nothing short of a feat wouldn't you say?" Kali praised.

"That was just dumb luck," Issei said.

"Luck or not… I want to fight you, Issei Hyoudou," Kali said.

Issei stiffened as she summoned a silver hilt into her hand. A pure black blade with a white aura extended from it as the sword whirred to life. Kali grinned as she appeared in front of Issei and swung the blade.

* * *

**In the Stands**

* * *

"So Kali-chan has decided to confront the Red Dragon by herself?" a woman with violet hair and brown skin commented. Her purple eyes shined as she watched her and Issei face off. She wore clothes that could barely classify as clothes. She wore a split sleeveless top that exposed her midriff and the underside of her breasts. She wore a white skirt with a blue loincloth like attachment at the front and a pair of ears on her head that resembled that of a fennec fox.

"Ma'at-chan."

The now named Ma'at turned around to see Parvati and Shiva behind her alongside the other leaders and dignitaries.

"Auntie," Ma'at greeted.

"So you came," Shiva said, sitting down in the chair.

"Of course… why wouldn't I?" Ma'at said.

"Well, the last time you and Kali-neesan saw each other was at the end of the Great War when we delivered news that…," Michael trailed off.

Ma'at went silent for a second before sighing. "I've had centuries to get over Ellie's death Michael. I'm fine."

"Are Selene and Helios here?" Michael asked.

"They left a while ago to go get food," Ma'at said as she focused on the match. Michael nodded and turned his gaze back to Issei and Kali.

* * *

**Arena**

* * *

Issei crashed into a wall. He barely dodged as Kali embedded the sword into the marble. He jumped back to gain some distance.

**[Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost]**

Issei kept boosting until he boosted fifty times. He aimed his hand at her and fired a blue beam of energy at Kali. Kali turned and deflected the beam with her sword. She raised her sword into the air and brought it down, sending a white wave of destructive power hurtling towards Issei.

Issei flew out of the way and conjured a sphere of golden fire in his left hand and threw it at her. Kali sliced the orb apart and was met with a black and red energy sphere. The sphere crashed into Kali, sending her through the building.

Issei looked down as he saw a cylindrical beam of white energy shot towards him. It was now that Issei realized that he wasn't fast enough to dodge. Deciding that he needed to reveal another aspect of his powers in order to survive, Issei held out his hand and a black portal appeared in front of him. The beam was absorbed into the portal before it closed.

Michael and Ma'at's eyes widened along with the others.

"That was the…," Michael said.

"How?" Sirzechs said, dumbfounded at the sight.

Kali burst from the hole and kicked Issei in the chin, breaking the helmet of his Balance Breaker. Issei fought through the pain and slammed his fist into her face. Kali staggered back a few feet and Issei rushed in and delivered a flurry of punches.

Kali blocked and dodged Issei's attacks and drove her knee into his torso. Issei gasped and was sent flying backward. He crashed into a building where he groaned in pain.

**[PARTNER!]** Ddraig yelled in concern.

**|Issei! Are you alright!?|** Tiamat asked.

"The bitch… can hit…," Issei laughed as he saw Kali hovering above him. She raised her hand and formed a sphere of white energy and fired it at Issei.

"S- Shit… this might be the end..," Issei said.

**(Don't give up now!)** Mastema yelled. **(Remember why you're here! Remember the promises you made to your team!)**

Issei's eyes widened as he bit down. The pain was unbearable but so was the pain of knowing that he went down without so much as putting up a fight. The others were out there fighting with their all and here he was giving up after a couple of hits. Issei rolled out of the way as the beam virtually erased the spot he was in down to the quark. Issei got up and formed several PoD spheres and fired it at Kali.

Kali narrowed her eyes and slapped them away.

**[Crimson Moon: Full Drive]**

Kali's eyes widened as she heard Issei next to her.

_His speed has incre-_

Her thought was interrupted as Issei slammed his armored fist into her face. She felt her nose break as she crashed through several buildings before skidding to a stop on a road. She got up and saw Issei creating a massive sphere of shadow. Small red and black orbs orbited around it. Small portals opened shooting white energy into the sphere while flames began to engulf the Power of Destruction Orbs.

_It… is. To think that… one of them inherited it after so long_, Kali thought as she formed a white sphere of energy.

Issei began to Boost, enhancing the power of the Orb.

"Take this! **Soul Shatter!**" Issei yelled as he willed the orbs merged together creating black orb with an iridescent corona and threw it at her.

A battle hungry grin formed on Kali's face.

"To think that one of them inherited your power and will after so long. Are you watching, Ellie?" Kali said as a battle-hungry grin formed on her face.

Kali created a large white cone in front of her and fired an energy beam from it. The sphere and the beam collided clashing for supremacy as the arena shook. Issei gritted his teeth as he tried to push against Kali's attack. His eyes widened when the sphere was engulfed in white energy. Issei barrel rolled out of the way as the beam traveled past him.

"W- What?" Issei said as his mind attempted to comprehend how his Boosted attack was just overpowered. He turned to Kali, who looked at him with a strange look.

**[It seems that you might have to use it]** Ddraig said.

"_At this point, I have no choice,"_ Issei said.

"You have it," Kali called out. She levitated off the ground and flew into the air, hovering a distance away from him.

"Have what?" Issei asked, confused by her sudden statement.

"Don't play dumb with me boy. Ever since I saw that power in your fight with Thor and then the others, I've been suspicious," Kali said.

"I genuinely don't know what you're talking about. You mean my Power of Destruction?" Issei asked.

"No… so you don't know," Kali said.

"Don't know what," Issei asked.

"Tell me… what do you know about the Creator of Devils?" Kali asked.

"The Creator of Devils was the Archangel Lucifer after she fell from Heaven. This is common knowledge… why are you asking?" Issei said.

"I see… what about the power she used to make them? What was the power called?" Kali asked.

"I don't know. I'm not an expert on Devil History," Issei said.

"Well then… allow me to enlighten you. The power that Lucifer wielded was the most coveted power in the Biblical Pantheon and perhaps one of the most coveted abilities in the World. The Shevirat-Ha Kelim," Kali said. "The power that birthed all of Devilkind and the original source of all the abilities wielded by the Seventy Two Pillars and the Extra Demons as well as… the Primes."

"No," Sirzechs said. "Why would Issei have that power? Not even Vali, a direct descendant of Lucifer has it."

"Wrong," Shiva said. "Vali is a descendant of Satanchia who was appointed as Maou Lucifer as he was her eldest son. The only other Devil to have this power was Lilith, her eldest child."

"But now… Issei has Nee-sama's power for… reasons we don't know," Gabriel said.

Ma'at watched the match silently.

"Why are you telling me this?" Issei asked.

Inside him, Ddraig, Tiamat, and Mastema all let out a collective groan. Issei may have changed and gotten smarter, stronger, and somewhat more mature but he was still Issei deep down and he had his moments of stupidity.

Kali seemed off-put by his seeming ignorance and sighed.

"Because you have it," Kali said.

"W- What?" Issei looked at her shocked.

"You are the inheritor and perhaps the last living wielder of the Shevirat Ha-Kelim. It's why you can use the Power of Destruction, the Power of Hole, Hell Fire and several more abilities that you have yet to access such as… creation on the nearly same level as that of Uncle Yahweh," Kali said.

"B- But how? How do I even have this?" Issei asked.

"_Mastema! Did you know?"_

**(No… I didn't.)** she answered.

"Well, how you have it is something that must be solved later for now…," Kali said.

Issei nodded and prepared to go after Kali when he heard an announcement that made his blood run cold.

"**Rook of Issei Hyoudou has been eliminated!"**

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Scrumblenut: Hmmm, you have piqued my interest. I shall watch Sanctuary as I need something to watch anyway while I'm stuck in one place.  
**

**AnimeFan0216: Haha, yes. They are very bad influences. Just look at how Asia turned out and now Rias too.  
**

**Rhongomyniad: Thanks! I actually got my most difficult final out of the way today so all that's left to do is wait... for the grade.**

**Anon: Hmm, Tatsuya is getting up there. He might have one of those world-altering beatdowns in the final courtesy of Issei. But the finals match will be focused on a confrontation between Issei and Rias and what comes after because I feel as if I could finally settle things between them in the finals. Like permanently. As you saw in one of the previous chapters, Rias is still somewhat hungover their breakup and that's understandable. The finals will be the turning point in their current relationship buuuut, I won't tell you which direction though. Hehe.**

* * *

**Alright before my reviews are flooded with reviews about Kali and Parvati being the same person blah blah blah, please note that this is fanfiction and Kali being Parvati's daughter is a creative and fictional interpretation of Kali being Paravati's aspect and vice versa. Same with Durga. I am one hundred percent aware that Durga and Kali are the same person but in different personas. I changed some things around. Now, guess who Rikka's mom is and what her relationship is to Varuna! First one to do so gets to request an omake for the next chapter! Remember, wash your hands, wear a mask and don't cut a hole in it, don't inject yourself with disinfectant, and to review this story! **

**PS: Fact check me on any facts that I may have made a mistake on regarding the figures I chose for Kali's team.**


	24. The Goddess of Destruction Part II

**Alright, guys! Here's part 2! Enjoy!**

* * *

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Ajuka Stadium, Gehenna, February 22, 2020, 1:25 PM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 37 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Rikka watched as Rama swung Brahmastra and eliminated Vasco, his body dissolving in red lights. Bova roared and entered his outrage mode, assaulting the demigod.

"Pay attention!" Kama said, firing an arrow at her. Rikka moved out of the way and stared at the deity.

_I… need to stop. At this rate, Vasco is eliminated. With our strongest piece gone, it's just us_, Rikka thought.

"I'm ending this fight," Rikka said.

Kama raised an eyebrow as she sheathed her second blade. Rikka gripped the hilt of Obsidian Rite and breathed in.

"**Rite of the Dark God: Code Laevateinn**," Rikka muttered.

She eyed the deity before disappearing before his eyes. He felt something warm run down the side of his cheek, causing his hand to fly up to it. Kamadeva stared at his fingers for the longest time as he brought them before his face. Blood. His fingers were stained in blood.

"I knew it. It just goes to show that even if you are a Hindu God… there are varying levels of power in your pantheon. Your pantheon gets good rep because of beings like Kali, Shiva, Durga, Parvati, Indra, and Agni," Rikka said as she turned to face him. Kama took a step back when he saw her eyes. The sclera was pitch black. An oppressive black aura formed around her

"But you?" Rikka said as she looked down at him. Everyone stopped fighting when they felt it. Her aura was as chaotic as fire itself. Kama saw the ground beneath Rikka begin to steam from the sheer heat her body was letting off.

"You're a lover… not a fighter," Rikka said.

Kama growled as he gritted his teeth and charged at her.

"KAMA! DON'T LET HER GET INSIDE YOUR HEAD YOU DUMBASS!" Durga shouted.

Irina took her distraction as an opportunity and slugged her hard in the face. Durga flew into a building, bringing the entire ceiling down on top of her from the force of the impact.

Meanwhile, Rikka weaved around each one of Kama's shots as she drew her sword.

_Instantaneous Acceleration_, she thought as she disappeared in a burst of speed. She appeared behind Kama and instantly turned her body at speeds of 200 km per hour. Kama's eyes widened when he turned and Rikka with her sword to the side.

"**Tsubame Gaeshi**," Rikka uttered as she sheathed Obsidian Rite. Blood sprayed from Kama's chest as he staggered back and fell down.

"You…," Kama growled. Rikka drew her second blade and pointed it at Kama. Kama's eyes widened as he backpedaled away from her.

"I see you recognize this blade," Rikka said as she took a step towards him. Behind the chaotic cries and shouts of their fellow teammates echoed but failed to drown out the slow footfalls of Rikka.

"T- That's impossible! Indra said that the sword was destroyed!" Kama said as he hit a wall.

"What did you say?" Rikka asked.

"That sword, the Agneyastra… Indra said it was destroyed!" Kama said.

"I see… well, tell Indra when you see him that the Agneyastra is well," Rikka said as she swung it. Kama was engulfed in red flames and was immediately retired from the game.

"**Bishop of Kali has been eliminated!"**

"Ironic…"

Tohka and Mica landed next to her. She turned and saw Varuna and Surya hovering above them.

"Kama was killed initially via incineration by Lord Shiva," Surya commented as he gripped his spear and chakram.

Varuna eyed the three silently.

"Any chance we can beat both of them?" Mica asked.

"Not a clue," Rikka said.

"Well then, **Breath of the Ancient Ones: Bloodletter**, **Form Change: Han and Anpo**," Mica said.

A flash of blue light engulfed Mica as chrome blue armor began to cover his body. A helmet with a green visor covered his head as orange lines of energy began to form all over the armor, resembling that of tribal markings. His Moonlight Blade transformed and split into two tomahawks that glowed with a slight silver aura.

The three took off, charging at the two gods.

* * *

Bova flapped his wings, deflecting Sita's arrows while Risa tried to attack her. Rama appeared in front of her and swung Brahmastra, forcing Risa to dodge. Using her momentum, Risa swung her sword, slicing apart the space between her and Rama. Rama felt a slash wound forming at his side.

"Interesting blade you got here?" Rama said.

"Thanks," Risa said. "Its name is Tatsumasa."

"Tatsumasa huh?" Rama said. He dashed over and swung Brahmastra again. Risa dodged his attack as the two began to dance around each other dodging and trading blows. Risa planted her boot in his face and used him as a launchpad as she took to the air. She raised her hand and created a javelin.

"Take this!" Risa threw the javelin at Rama.

Rama swung Brahmastra in an attempt to slice the spear in half. As soon as Brahmastra came within a hair's breadth of the spear, the spear shattered into several thousand shards. Taken off guard by such a tactic, Rama staggered back as the shards impaled him. He felt someone crash into his back and the two fell.

"Lord Rama…"

He saw Sita shakily getting to her knee.

"My Queen," Rama said as he knelt next to her. Bova landed in front of them, fangs bared. He had several wounds across his body from Sita's Sharanga and it looked as if he wouldn't last any longer. A few more blows and the dragon would be eliminated.

He heard Risa land behind him.

"I'm not a fighter Lord Rama but I promised to fight in these games with you, as offered by Lady Kali. I won't fall here," Sita said as she stood and knocked an arrow aimed for Bova.

"Sita," Rama said. He got up, using Brahmastra as support. That priest he had taken out earlier had taken more energy from him than he thought. And now he had to fight a Seraph Class Angel. He chuckled.

"Heh… I haven't had this much fun since we fought Ravana so don't worry about going down because if you do, I'll bring them all down before following you," Rama reassured her.

"I don't know if that was to try and make me feel better or if you were just boasting my love," Sita said, grinning. "I've read the Ramayana… damn bastards thought I was a damsel in distress…"

Bova roared as he fired a blast of fire towards Sita and Rama. The two scattered. Sita hopped and slid to her left as she unleashed a hail of arrows. Bova slammed his paw on the ground, sending rubble into the air. The arrows hit the rubble, however, some made it past and hit Bova. Bova cried out in pain before swinging his tail. A gust of wind buffeted Sita, forcing her to cover her face. She squinted and saw Bova's fist slam into her gut.

"GAH!" Sita coughed and was sent crashing into the street below. Bova took to the air and unleashed a massive stream of fire down on her.

"**Pawn of Kali has retired!"**

"SITA!" Rama said.

"Pay attention!" Risa said. She swung Tatsumasa to try and eliminate Rama. Rama immediately blocked her blade. He brought his leg up, kicking her in the side. She gasped as she felt some of her ribs break from the force of the kick. Risa staggered back as she looked at Rama, while clutching her side with one hand and Tatsumasa with the other.

"Sita," Rama said. He gripped Brahmastra and advanced on Risa. The sound of flapping wings behind him made him turn quickly.

Risa's eyes widened.

"BOVA! GET BACK!" Risa yelled.

Rama held Brahamstra high in the air and willed it to levitate from his hand. The sword began to spin rapidly until it became nothing more than a disk of yellow light. A large whirring noise was heard as powerful gale-force winds battered the area. Rama roared as he threw the disk at Bova.

Bova stopped too late and the disk collided with him. A massive pillar of light forced all fighters to cease their fighting and flee as the pillar of energy emitted by the Brahmastra began to tear the entire area asunder.

When the pillar faded, there was a massive 500-meter wide crater. Every building around it had been reduced to atoms and Rama hovered in the middle with Brahmastra in hand.

Risa was above him, eyes wide in terror. Rama dashed towards her. Risa readied Tatsumasa and swung it as Rama darted past her. Risa's eyes widened as she felt something warm running down her torso. She turned to see Rama with Brahmastra, coated in her blood.

"It's over," Rama said. Risa felt herself begin to slip as the blood flowed even more. She weakly beat her wings to try and get to him before plummeting to the ground. Before she hit the ground, she threw something at Rama. Her body dissolved into red particles as she was retired. Rama, too tired to move, was impaled with a light spear and fell, falling unconscious due to a combination of fatigue and bloodloss.

"**Pawn of Issei Hyoudou has retired! Knight of Issei Hyoudou has retired! Knight of Kali has retired!"**

Irina and Mitsuki froze.

"Risa-senpai… Bova…," Irina said. Mitsuki clenched her fist as she looked down.

Ingvild felt her resolve falter when she heard the announcement. "Tch! This can't be it!" Ingvild said as she created a massive orange magic circle.

"This is the power of the Leviathan Clan!" Ingvild yelled. "A power born from the power inherited by Leviathan-sama from Lucifer-sama bolstered with the draconic abilities of the Infernal Dragon Lotan!"

Durga's eyes widened slightly.

"**Fusion Technique Balance Breaker:** **Blood Dragon Ascension!**" Ingvild yelled. Durga shot into the air as the ground under her ruptured. Torrents of red liquid surrounded Ingvild. The liquid swirled and coiled around Ingvild as it coalesced and shaped itself according to her will into eight dragon heads. Ingvild glared at the war goddess.

"Oh? A Balance Breaker?" Durga said.

"This is an Ex Side Balance Breaker… a combination of my clan power, Sea Serpent of the End, and my Sacred Gear's power," Ingvild said.

"I see… but do you really think that that will do anything against me!" Durga dashed towards Ingvild with great speed. Ingvild moved her hand, willing the dragon heads to attack her.

Durga twisted and dodged, slicing off one of the heads with her sword. As she was about to reach Ingvild, Irina appeared in between the two and swung Hauteclere with such ferocity that Durga was knocked back a few inches.

"Oh?" Durga eyed her.

Irina looked at Durga with defiance in her eyes.

"I may not be… as strong as everyone else here but that doesn't mean that I will back down!" Irina said.

Durga ignored her speech and went in to eliminate Irina.

"**Phantom Claiomh Solais!**" the gems on Irina's wristbands glowed as her speed was multiplied a hundredfold. Combined with her knight speed, Irina's current movements might as well have been too fast for Durga to follow.

The sudden increase in speed caught the Goddess off guard as she was assaulted with a flurry of slashes. She tried to follow. In her attempt to block Irina, she never noticed a dragon head slam into her and bite down. Ingvild closed her fist as the dragon head pointed upward and spat out a red beam of energy, sending Durga into the air with it.

"HAAAH!" Mitsuki's fist collided with her gut, sending Durga further into the air.

Durga righted herself in the air. As she was about to move back towards Ingvild and Irina, an announcement made her blood run cold.

"**Rook of Kali has been eliminated."**

* * *

Rikka dodged as she vaulted off Mica's back. She spun around and brought both her blades down on Varuna as he blocked both her weapons with his spear. Her eyes widened as Surya came at her with his spear and chakram ready to take her out.

Tohka slammed into his side and sent him crashing into a building.

"MICA!" Tohka yelled as she pointed all her cannons at Surya's downed form.

"RIGHT!" Mica flew into the air and crossed his tomahawks together.

"**Dawn Strike Formation: Epoch Cannon!**"

"**Unk Cekula!"**

Tohka and Mica unleashed red and blue beams of pure energy towards Surya.

"**Hiranyagarbha!**" A comet made of white and gold flames shot forth from Surya's weapons and collided with Mica and Tohka's combined blasts.

Mica and Tohka were pushed back as they tried to match the deity's energy. Despite being gods themselves, the sheer difference between them and the older god in front of them was palpable as they struggled to keep up. Eventually, the flames of Surya's Hiranyagarba began to consume their combined energy beam. Acting quickly, Mica kicked Tohka out of the way, breaking the deadlock. Tohka's eyes widened as Mica sent her one last wink before he was consumed by Surya's flames.

"MICA!" Tohka screamed.

"**Rook of Issei Hyoudou has retired!"**

"You bastard!" Tohka charged at Surya, slashing her dagger. Surya parried the dagger with his chakram and used the other end of his spear to trip her. Tohka caught herself with her free hand and spun around while performing the handstand and kicked Surya in the face.

Tohka jumped away from Surya and aimed her cannons at him.

"**Kinetic Blast!**" A blast of violet kinetic energy slammed into Surya's chest, sending him flying back. The deity reacted quickly spinning in midair and digging his spear into the concrete to halt his flight.

"Tch," Surya said.

Tohka rushed at him, her dagger fully ready to strike him in a vital area and eliminate him. Surya grinned as he deftly evaded her. He swung his spear, sending her crashing into a car. He hefted his chakram and threw it at her.

Tohka quickly got up and intercepted the chakram with her dagger. She roared as she tried to block it. Her eyes widened when the weapon began to cut through her dagger. Her dagger snapped and the chakram hit her, unleashing a fiery explosion.

After the explosion died down, Tohka stood with, barely keeping herself upright. Blood poured from her wounds as her armor was badly damaged. She took a step and collapsed, dissolving in a shower of red lights.

"**Pawn of Issei Hyoudou has been eliminated!"**

Surya turned around to see Varuna and Rikka still locked in deadly combat.

Agneyastra and Varunastra collided, sending sparks everywhere. Rikka parried the spear and slashed Varuna with Obsidian Rite. Varuna backstepped to avoid the blade and pointed Varunastra at her.

Rikka brought Agneyastra and pointed it at Varuna as she unleashed a torrent of red flames. Varuna fired a torrent of water. The two elements met and collided, creating a large mist. Varuna looked around, sensing for Rikka.

Rikka appeared behind Varuna and swung both her blades only to be blocked by Surya's chakram. Varuna, hearing the sounds of weapons colliding, jumped out of the way. Rikka turned to see the chakram return to Surya's outstretched hand.

"Two against one hardly seems fair," Rikka said.

"There is no such thing as a fair fight, little girl," Surya said.

Rikka narrowed her eyes and gulped. She could barely keep up with Varuna. Add Surya into the mix and she had herself a recipe for disaster.

"I'll take care of her Varuna… go help Durga. She has her hands full," Surya said.

"Are you sure?" Varuna asked.

Surya nodded. Varuna sighed and took off in Durga's direction. Rikka blinked before getting ready.

Surya launched his chakram at her. Rikka sped towards it, using it the flat side to launch herself towards Surya. The Sun God was surprised by her tactic and brought his spear to block her sword.

Surya pushed back, sending Rikka down to one knee.

"Nice try but it ends here," Surya said as he applied more pressure. He willed his chakram to fly back towards them, fully intent on striking Rikka from behind.

Rikka heard the whirring of the blade, heading towards her. In a moment of desperation, Rikka spat fire in Surya's face, allowing her a split second to slip underneath him. She planted her foot in his family jewels hard, causing the god's face to contort in pain. She came out from underneath and jumped on his back. She threw Agneyastra in the air and jumped towards it.

Rikka looked down and saw the chakram hit Surya in the head, knocking him on his back. She used Instantaneous Acceleration to get above Agneyastra and kicked the sword, sending it flying into Surya.

Surya felt nothing but pain as he watched Agneyastra impale him in the torso. Rikka landed next to his prone form. She walked over and grabbed Agneyastra's hilt, pulling it out.

"Heh, I underestimated you…," Surya said as he began to fade.

Rikka nodded.

"Tell me… Agneyastra… how did you get it?" Surya asked as his body was almost fully dissolved.

"My mother left it for me… her name is Agni," Rikka said.

"I see…," Surya said. His body fully disappeared, leaving Rikka by herself.

"**Rook of Kali has retired!"**

Rikka sighed and began to make her way towards Durga and the others.

* * *

"Surya… was defeated?" Durga said, dumbfounded. Varuna arrived in time to deflect Mitsuki's attempt at attacking a distracted Durga.

"Snap out of it Durga," Varuna said, sending Mitsuki back. Durga was brought out of her stupor and nodded.

"We need to eliminate these three," Durga said.

Irina gripped Hauteclere tightly. Durga was already enough for them to handle but Varuna as well. They might as well be screwed.

"Mitsuki," Irina said.

"I got it…," Mitsuki moved her hands and the clocks glowed.

"**Emerald Divine Clock!**" A massive green circle appeared underneath them.

"...," Durga glanced at the circle then at Mitsuki. "We need to eliminate the Telos Karma User… she'll be trouble."

Durga dashed towards Mitsuki, summoning a massive energy blade and brought it down on her. Mitsuki smirked as Durga's attack missed significantly. The Goddess's eyes widened as Irina dashed at her and slashed her cheek with Hauteclere.

Ingvild sent a dragon head at her. Durga gritted her teeth and unleashed a telekinetic wave that dispersed the water dragon. She ducked as Irina's foot barely missed her head. Varuna dashed towards Irina, hitting her with a high-pressure water beam.

Irina felt something break as she crashed through several buildings.

"RIN!" Mitsuki yelled.

"I'm fine!" Irina stumbled as she got up. She winced as she turned around. One of her wings was bent in an awkward manner with one of the bones sticking out. She saw a large wound on her right arm that would serve more as a hindrance. Irina closed her eyes as she created a small hot orb of light at her fingertip and pressed it against the wound.

"AHHHHHH!" Irina screamed and bit down on her suit's glove as she cauterized her wound.

Mitsuki ducked and parried Durga's sword, using **[Telos Karma's]** Emerald Divine Clock at the right moments. The Emerald Divine Clock was a special technique that she had created with the Telos Karma. It allowed her to engulf a massive area as large as Kuoh Academy within a field that allowed her to control all possibilities. She nicknamed it Miracle Field.

"Tch! This is getting really annoying! Varuna, do something!" Durga called.

"Kind of busy here!" Varuna blew up another one of Ingvild's dragon heads. He swiped Varunastra, blasting through Ingvild's Dragon and appeared in front of her. Ingvild's eyes widened as Varuna drove his knee into her stomach. She coughed up blood and tried to get away. However, Varuna gave her no chance to run. He grabbed her head and slammed her against the concrete with such force that the ground cracked. Ingvild was instantly knocked unconscious as her body began to dissolve.

"**What a brutal knockout! Bishop of Issei Hyoudou has been defeated!"**

"Ingvild," Mitsuki said, clenching her fist. "You!"

Mitsuki dodged as Durga swiped her sword. "Your fight is with me, Sister of the Red Dragon!"

"Tch!" Mitsuki forced Durga's sword to miss. _I can't keep this up for long! Irina! Where are you!?_

Mitsuki flipped as she dodged a blast of water. To put things lightly, Mitsuki was fucked. In about five minutes, her Emerald Divine Clock would dissipate and she would need to recover her stamina in order to cast it again. And here she was surrounded by two Gods who were far stronger than she was. The thought of her fighting them both made her grin. Her brother and Vali really were bad influences if they could turn a maiden like her into a battle-hungry maniac. As Mitsuki formed energy blades, her eyes widened when a wave of fire forced Durga and Varuna to dodge. The fire melted seven feet of concrete when it hit the ground.

"Mitsuki!" Rikka landed on a building across from where she hovered.

"Rikka!" Mitsuki smiled.

"The Agneyastra," Durga said as she narrowed her eyes as she laid eyes upon Rikka's second sword.

"So my suspicions were correct," Varuna said as he floated next to Durga.

"Where did you get that sword?" Durga said as a golden aura surrounded her.

"My mother gave it to me before she died. It's all I have left of her," Rikka said.

"So your mother is… Agni?" Durga asked. "That explains a lot… the energy I feel from you. Your demeanor. The fact that you have Agneyastra."

"I'm not particularly fond of the Hindu Pantheon, particularly that asshole you let rule your Pantheon," Rikka said.

"It seems we can agree on one thing," Durga said.

"Let's continue this fight shall we?" Rikka asked.

"I agree with that."

Varuna and Durga turned around to see Irina below them.

"Yes, let's," Durga said.

* * *

Issei rolled out of the way as Kali's foot came dangerously close to caving his skull in. Not that she would, this was a Rating Game after all. The system would retire him before Kali could actually kill him. He tripped her, slamming his leg into her side, and sent the goddess crashing into a car.

Kali spit out a tooth and gripped the car door. With seemingly no effort at all, Kali threw the car at Issei. Issei's eyes widened as he jumped out of the way. The car crashed into the third window of a building, causing it to collapse.

Issei dashed towards Kali, forming a Power of Destruction Sphere and slammed it into her. His eyes widened when Kali caught the sphere. His PoD orb was engulfed in Kali's white energy as it began to break it down. The Goddess then kicked Issei, sending him skidding down the pavement.

"I see that you lack skill in using the Shevirat Ha-Kelim," Kali said.

"Well sorry but I've only known that I had it for a couple of months. In fact, I didn't even know it was called that until our match," Issei said, shakily getting to his feet.

"I see," Kali said. "Well, then, allow me to teach you."

"What?" Issei said, taken aback.

"I've seen the power being used more than enough times to know some of the mechanics behind it," Kali said.

"...," Issei regarded her with an apprehensive look.

"What do you have to lose?" Kali asked.

"The match," Issei said.

"Of course, I never said I would do this now. If you can defeat me, I'd be happy to explain what I know about it," Kali said.

"Defeat you? That's next to impossible for someone like me," Issei said.

"You defeated Thor," Kali said.

"Yeah… but that's only because I caught him off guard," Issei said.

Kali looked at him and nodded.

"I see. Well then, that's enough talking. Let's continue," Kali appeared in front of Issei and delivered a devastating uppercut. Issei's helmet shattered as he was sent into the sky. He caught his bearings and righted himself in midair only to freeze when he heard her voice behind him.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings. Ellie was whenever we sparred," Kali said. Issei turned quickly, attempting to hit her. His eyes widened when he hit air. Kali appeared behind him and slammed her elbow into his back. Issei let out a soundless scream as he was sent into the ground.

"Damnit...," Issei said as he tried to stand.

**[Issei! Get up!]** Ddraig urged.

**|Hatchling… please… don't give up now!|** Tiamat said.

**(Issei…)** Mastema floated above him. She turned to see Kali looking at Issei intently. Mastema stared at Kali for a few seconds before turning back to Issei.

**(Issei. You have no choice. You have to use it. Perhaps that and your Chaos Breaker can let you turn the tide of combat in your favor!)** Mastema said.

"I don't even know if I have the strength to lift my hand," Issei said.

"Are you giving up?" Kali asked. Issei turned and gave her a thumbs up.

"Probably," Issei said as he finally found the strength to stand.

"How disappointing. Ellie must be rolling in her grave to know that such a worthless fighter like you inherited her power," Kali said.

"Listen, lady. I don't even know why I should be offended by your statement. It seems like you're more offended about it than I am," Issei said as he began to build power.

Kali narrowed her eyes.

"But to answer your earlier question again, I'm not," Issei said as he slammed his palm on the ground. Kali's eyes widened as she was blasted back by a wave of pure power. She covered her face as winds buffeted her.

Issei grinned as a massive red dragon gate appeared underneath him. "I was hoping to save this for the Finals when I had to fight people like Indra and Vali but… you're just as powerful an opponent if not more. This is the result of months of work and research on my Gear!"

"_Sorry, Tiamat… but I'll need Ddraig for this. I still need to get used to summoning you guys_," Issei said.

**|It's fine Hatchling. Ddraig's been in here for the better part of the last millennia. I'm fine waiting a bit more|** Tiamat replied.

"_Ddraig… remember. Three Minutes is our time limit,"_ Issei said.

**[Hmph. Three Minutes of freedom. I'll cherish them to my heart's content. Now, we have a goddess to crush]** Ddraig said.

Issei closed his eyes and grinned as the gem on the **[|Boosted Gear|]** began to glow brightly.

"**Oh Red Dragon of Domination…,"** Issei chanted.

"**I hereby release you!"**

"**May the Heavenly Chains of Genesis that bind you be undone."**

"**May the World quake and tremble at the beat of your wings."**

"**And may my enemies consign themselves to their fates as your flames consume them…"**

"**Ddraig Y Goch! Come forth and plunge this world into the depths of Crimson Purgatory!"**

Red light filled the entire arena as all combatants stopped fighting. Raw power was felt flowing from the barrier and slammed into every occupant. The entirety of the territory shook. Lightning crashed from the skies, forcing the weather gods to use their powers to try and mitigate it.

In the VIP stands, Michael and Gabriel's eyes widened when they heard the all-too-familiar roar.

"It seems that the kid is smarter than we take him for," Azazel said as the light began to die down.

Azrael nodded.

In the arena, standing proudly behind Issei was a massive western dragon with scales as red as blood itself. The dragon spread his wings, sending a blast of wind through the entire city. His green eyes glowed with power as he opened his mouth and let out an ear-shattering roar. His tail slammed into the buildings behind him, destroying all of them in an instant.

"Ddraig," Issei said.

Ddraig looked down and grinned.

"Let's do this," Issei said. **"Chaos Break: Satan Drive!"**

Issei glowed red and he was clad in the similar demonic-dragon armor from his match with Thor.

Ddraig roared as he took off and flew towards Kali. Kali's eyes widened as she felt Ddraig's paw slam into her. She was sent rocketing towards the Washington Memorial. Issei disappeared from his spot and appeared behind her, planting his foot firmly into her back.

Kali gasped as she crashed into the ground, creating a large crater that was fifty meters in diameter. Issei raised his hand and summoned several flaming spears and coated them in the Power of Destruction.

"Eat this!" Issei said as he threw the spears. Kali's eyes glowed as a wave of white light exploded from her, destroying the spears. She burst from the crater and headed for Issei only to be grabbed by Ddraig. She struggled and tried to break free from his grasp but found herself being thrown into a nearby building.

Ddraig opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of red flames towards Kali. Kali saw the oncoming flames and fired back, sending a cylindrical beam of white energy. The two attacks collided, fighting for dominance.

Ddraig narrowed his green eyes and began to double his power, sending Kali sliding back. The Goddess gritted her teeth as she created a ring of white spheres that began to feed power into her attack in an attempt to match Ddraig.

"I never said I would fight fair," Issei said as he appeared behind her.

"Neither did I," Kali said as she glanced at him. Two of the white spheres stopped feeding energy and began to fire at Issei. Issei weaved around the spheres' blasts and reached Kali. The Goddess's eyes glowed violet as she sent telekinetic bullets into Issei, sending him crashing through the wall.

Kali suddenly felt the heat in front of her and jumped as the building was consumed in scarlet flames.

"So this is the power of the Red Dragon Emperor," Kali whispered. "Hehehe… AHAHAHA! How wonderful! This fight is much better than I expected!"

Kali appeared in front of Ddraig's face and landed a kick on his snout, sending him crashing into the ground.

"Ddraig!" Issei flew towards Kali and began to attack her. The Goddess parried and evaded his blows before delivering a palm strike that sent him back. Just as she was about to attack Issei, Ddraig's tail wrapped around Kali and slammed her into the ground. Kali groaned in pain as Ddraig threw her through seven buildings, eventually crashing into a metal gate.

"Let's go," Issei said as he and Ddraig flew after her when an announcement made his blood run cold.

"**Queen of Issei Hyoudou has been eliminated."**

* * *

**With Irina as Issei and Ddraig are fighting Kali**

* * *

Irina looked in awe as a red dragon appeared in the arena. Durga and Varuna's eyes widened.

"The Red Dragon Emperor… he's able to summon him from the Gear?" Durga asked.

"So that was his trump card huh?" Irina muttered. She smiled. Maybe this match wasn't lost after all. She steeled herself and glared at Durga.

Durga noticed her glare and looked back.

"Even if the Red Dragon Emperor is free from his seal, don't think that we'll just hand over victory to you like that," Durga said as she readied herself. "If we're going down, we'll take you with us."

Irina remained silent as she gripped Hauteclere. Rikka and Mitsuki eyed each other before dropping into battle stances.

Durga rushed towards Irina, her swords poised to strike. Mitsuki raised her hand to make Durga miss when she moved out of the way. Varuna thrust Varunastra at her, forcing her to dodge. Rikka appeared above Varuna and swung Obsidian Rite and Agneyastra. Varuna turned and bent over, allowing the weapons to harmlessly pass over him. He delivered a powered kick to Rikka's stomach, sending her into the air.

Rikka coughed as she caught herself in midair. She dove towards Varuna with Agneyastra and Obsidian Rite ready to strike. Varuna smiled as he sent a blast of water at her. Rikka twisted out of the way.

Mitsuki attempted to attack Varuna only to be forced back as a pair of water serpents erupted from the ground and began attacking her.

Meanwhile, Durga and Irina engaged in a dance of blades. Irina tried her best to keep up with the Goddess's strikes, however, the number of slash wounds that were slowly building said otherwise. Irina ducked as Durga nearly took off her head and kicked the goddess's sword into the air. Irina rushed Durga, performing another Phantom Claiomh Solais.

Durga easily parried all of Irina's extremely fast strikes which to the untrained eye appeared as a single sword strike.

"You're getting tired," Durga said as she parried Irina's last strike. She slammed the butt of her sword into the angel's stomach, sending her sliding back. Irina dug Hauteclere's blade into the ground to stop herself.

"N- No, I can still fight," Irina said.

"There's no shame in surrendering," Durga said as she leveled her sword at Irina.

"No… I lost once… I failed once. I'm not failing Issei this time!" Irina said.

"Your resolve is admirable. Very well. I'll entertain this foolish notion," Durga said. Durga flickered out of existence before Irina's eyes. She gripped Hauteclere tightly in front of her, sensing for Durga's presence.

She turned when she heard a piece of rubble fall next to her. Irina took a few steps back, glancing in every direction, using her ears to hear for anything that might resemble the Goddess. Suddenly, every hair on the back of her neck stood on end as Irina turned to block Durga's sword.

"Good senses," Durga praised as she applied more pressure. Irina's eyes widened as she was forced to her knee.

_Damnit_, Irina thought. She glared up at Durga in defiance before doing the one thing she was sure only Issei would do in combat. She headbutted Durga, forcing the Goddess to stumble back.

"Agh! Bitch!" Durga said as she grabbed her head.

Irina fought through the pain and dashed towards Durga, forming several light spears. Durga looked up and saw Irina inches from her. Reacting quickly, Durga swung her sword as Irina slashed at her. Irina stopped a few feet behind her and stumbled. She felt something warm run down her torso and looked down. Blood. She was bleeding. Durga had a small cut on her cheek, having moved in time. Irina weakly turned, a large diagonal cut going down her front. Her suit was somewhat torn, exposing a part of her breasts and stomach.

"It's over," Durga said.

"No… it's… not," Irina passed out and began to dissolve.

"**Queen of Issei Hyoudou has been eliminated."**

"IRINA!" Mitsuki shouted as she kicked Varuna towards Rikka. She dashed towards Durga when she saw a light spear behind the Goddess. Mitsuki landed before Durga and delivered a roundhouse kick.

Durga deftly evaded the attack and tried to strike at Mitsuki. Mitsuki used every ounce of her speed and flipped over Kali's sword. She slashed the Goddess's back with her energy blade, causing her to scream. She rolled and grabbed Irina's remaining light spear and dashed at Durga.

Durga turned and brought down her sword which missed slightly, knicking Mitsuki in the arm as she pushed her body to its limit to force **[Telos Karma]** to change probability. However, she was unable to stop Durga's second attack as Durga slammed her fist into Mitsuki's face. Mitsuki fought with all her strength to prevent herself from being thrown back as she channeled miasma into Irina's light spear and stabbed it into Durga's torso.

Durga gasped and looked down to see herself impaled. Mitsuki stumbled back, clutching her bleeding face as her cheek and her right eye began to swell.

Durga stumbled back as she pulled the spear out, blood pouring from the wound. Durga heard crackling and turned to see Mitsuki holding her hand out. A sphere of black and violet energy in front of her.

"**Moonshadow Beam**," Mitsuki said as she fired the attack. Durga swung her blade, blocking Mitsuki's beam.

"Not yet!" Mitsuki said. Her Balance Breaker had dispelled when she stabbed Durga with the spear but she could still use her Gear's functions. Durga's eyes widened when her sword broke and the beam punched through her chest, puncturing her right lung. The Goddess stumbled back, gasping for air as she fell to her hands and knees.

"You…," Durga gasped as she reached out for Mitsuki.

Mitsuki looked at her. "Sorry about your… lung I'm guessing?"

"N- Not funny! Even gods need air! Shit!" Durga's vision began to swim as her lung began to fill with blood. "I retire!"

"**Queen of Kali has retired due to injuries!"**

Varuna froze. He was the only one left. Durga had been taken out by the combined might of that angel and the **[Telos Karma]** wielder. Varuna was snapped out of his thoughts when Rikka swung Agneyastra.

"Not giving up, Daughter of Agni," Varuna said as he staggered Rika. He slammed the other end of Varunastra into her, sending her back. Varuna pointed Varunastra at her.

"**Varuna Satya!" **

Rikka raised her swords to block a torrent of water that slammed into her. Rikka's eyes widened when the water broke through her guard and began grinding into her.

"Gugh! I- Instan-!" Rikka couldn't get the words out as the pressurized water began to grind away her flesh. She felt her already broken ribs begin to crack.

"Hah!" Mitsuki kicked Varuna in the head, canceling the attack. The deity stumbled a bit before swinging Varunastra. Mitsuki jumped back and bit her lip when the tip of the divine spear cut into her thigh.

"I'm not done yet!" Mitsuki said. She was running on dregs as she faced down the God of Water.

Rikka shakily got to her feet as she watched Mitsuki rush in and try and attack Varuna. Varun blocked her attacks and sent her crashing into a building.

"This… is nothing," she said as she ignored the pain in her side. _Instantaneous Acceleration._

Rikka disappeared in a burst of speed and slashed Varuna's unprotected back with Agneyastra. Varuna grunted in pain and kicked Rikka. Rikka flipped in the air and landed on her feet. She gripped Agneyastra with her hand and swung it.

"**Mahabhuta!"** Rikka sends a wave of fire at Varuna.

"**Varuna Satya!"** Varuna responds by countering it with a blast of water. The two attacks collide, creating a massive fog that blankets the area.

Varuna swung Varunastra, dispelling the mist. Mitsuki appeared behind him and Rikka appeared at his left. He easily parried their attacks with his spear. Rikka landed in front of him and dashed towards him, sliding underneath him. She punched the deity in his jewels, causing him to curl in on himself and drop Varunastra. It was a dirty move, yes but it was quite effective.

Every male spectator felt the deity's pain and unconsciously covered their dicks.

Mitsuki kicked Varuna in the jaw while he was down, sending him into a fire hydrant. The hydrant broke spilling water everywhere. Varuna felt the cool sensation of water between his fingers and grinned. He swung his arm, sending a thin water blade at Mitsuki. Mitsuki barely dodged but was blasted into a car by a water blast.

Rikka ran at Varuna, jumping over a car and swinging Agneyastra and Obsidian Rite, sending a swathe of flames at him. Varuna jumped out of the way and held out his hand. Mitsuki saw Varunastra begin to move and dashed over to it, using **[Telos Karma]** to increase her chances of reaching it. She grabbed onto it as it flew towards Varuna. Using Varunastra's momentum, Mitsuki launched herself at Varuna, forming two energy blades around her hand. She performed an x-slash as she flew past Varuna. Varuna stumbled as wounds formed on his chest.

Rikka took this opportunity and ran at Varuna, performing a diagonal slash with Agneyastra for the most damage. In her haste, she never saw Varunastra cut into her side. Rikka fell down as she passed Varuna. She gritted her teeth as she rolled over onto her back, still gripping her blades.

Varuna walked over to her and raised Varunastra to finish her off. As he plunged the blade down, Mitsuki came up behind him and grabbed his arms.

"NOW!" Mitsuki said. Rikka nodded weakly as she fought through the pain and used the last of her strength to slash Varuna. A deep wound appeared on Varuna's torso as Agneyastra and Obsidian Rite's blades cut into his flesh. Varuna coughed up blood as Mitsuki let go.

Rikka stood panting as Varuna approached her. Varunastra dissipated with Varuna no longer having the strength to maintain its form.

"Y-You're so much like my sister… you have her ferocity as well as her eyes…," Varuna said, smiling. His body began to dissolve as the overwhelming amount of blood he lost caught up with him. Varuna closed his eyes and fell but was transported out of the arena before he hit the ground.

"**Knight of Kali has retired!"**

Rikka fell to the ground. Mitsuki ran over to her and turned her over.

"Your wounds…," Mitsuki said as she began to apply healing magic. Rikka's wound slowly closed as Mitsuki tried to heal her as best she could.

"Mitsuki… I'm fine now," Rikka said as she sat up. Her ribs were still broken and she was one hundred percent sure that she had a concussion but other than that, she could fight. She wasn't sure for how long though.

"Let's go," Rikka said, standing up.

"Eh?" Mitsuki looked at her.

"Let's go help Issei," she said. Mitsuki's eyes widened. She nodded.

"I'm running on fumes here so I don't know how much help I'll be," Mitsuki said as she spread her wings. Rikka smiled.

"Same." The two giggled before heading as fast as they could toward the pillar of white energy in the distance.

* * *

Kali dodged as Ddraig slammed his paw into the building. Hearing the announcements that her Queen, Rook, and Knight had been eliminated meant that she was the only member left on her team. But she didn't care, she didn't care one bit. All she could focus on was this fight in front of her. The most exciting and exhilarating fight that she had in centuries following Ellie's death.

Kali leaped off the wall of a building and punched Ddraig in the face, knocking his tooth out and sending him crashing through several buildings. She blocked Issei's kick and grabbed his leg, throwing him into a van in the street below.

"Hahaha," Kali formed a massive white sphere of energy and fired it at Issei. Issei opened a portal underneath him and fell into it, allowing him to disappear before Kali's attack hit. Kali dodged as Issei tried to land a punch on her.

Kali summoned her sword and slashed Issei. Issei barely dodged, getting cut on the cheek. The goddess released a telekinetic pulse that slammed into Issei's side. Issei crashed into the street below him.

Kali felt a wind hit her and turned to see Ddraig's hand wrap around her body. She began to cover herself in her white destructive energy, forcing Ddraig to open his hand. Kali headed for Ddraig's chest when the dragon suddenly turned and smashed her with his fist.

Kali hit the ground, landing face first. She rolled out of the way when Ddraig slammed his tail into the ground. Kali used an energy blast to propel herself into the air and sent energy blades at Ddraig.

The Heavenly Dragon roared in pain as Kali's energy waves cut into his flesh. Kali delivered a flying kick into Ddraig's gut and followed up with an uppercut. Issei appeared behind her and wrapped his hands around her. He flew up and dove down suddenly and crashed into the ground, creating a massive dust cloud. Issei flew out of the cloud and crashed through a window.

"Issei Hyoudou, Ddraig Y Goch… I thank you for giving me such an exhilarating battle!" Kali said.

"I'd say you're welcome if I wasn't trying to fight off the pain right now," Issei said as he stumbled towards her.

Kali smiled as she looked at Issei. Blood ran down her right arm and a large bruise was forming on her left arm. Her torso was exposed and her dress's skirt was torn, revealing large lacerations and cuts on her side and legs.

_Tch… Ddraig's been out longer than three minutes… I've been pushing it and I need to finish this now!_ Issei thought. He raised his hand and created a swirling red and black sphere.

"_Ddraig… I'll distract her… you finish her off!"_ Issei said.

_**[Got it]**_ Ddraig said as he hovered in the air.

Issei boosted himself and disappeared in a burst of speed only to appear in front of Kali. Issei opened his palm and unleashed a pulse of red light, temporarily stunning her. He slammed the sphere into her, grinding away at her flesh and launched her into the air towards Ddraig.

Kali screamed when Ddraig slashed her back with his talons and slammed his tail into her. She crashed, skipping like a rock across the water before slamming into the chassis of a tank. Kali gritted her teeth as she coughed up blood and saw Ddraig flying towards her.

She closed her eyes and smiled. At least she can say she fought the Red Dragon. Kali opened her eyes and faced Ddraig as his fist bared down on her. However, before it made contact, Ddraig's entire body dispelled.

Issei groaned as he fell to his knee, vomiting blood.

**[Issei!]**

**|Hatchling!|**

**(Issei, hang in there!... Shit your body used too much power!)** Mastema said.

"_Shit…,"_ Issei said. He stood as best he could, stumbling a bit before looking at Kali. The Goddess limped towards him before taking off. Issei had no time to dodge as Kali grabbed his face and began dragging him across the ground. She tossed him up and punched his gut, sending him crashing through a building and landing in an alleyway.

* * *

Irina woke with a start and found herself in a hopsital bed with various lines attached to her.

"You're awake!"

She turned to see Tohka in a wheelchair with Mica behind her. Vasco sat in a chair next to her bed while Risa stood looking at a TV. Ingvild sat on her left with a bandage wrapped around her head and some gauze pads on her face. Her left eye was swollen a bit but not as badly due to the administration of Phenex Tears.

"W- What happened?" Irina asked.

"Mitsuki eliminated Durga after you retired," Risa said.

"Tch… dammit… why am I so useless?" Irina asked.

"You're not," Ingvild said. "Mitsuki-san was only able to take out Durga after you wore her down."

"But look it's not looking so well right now. After Durga and Varuna were taken out, Ddraig dispelled. Kali's still in and she can defeat Issei, Rikka, and Mitsuki," a voice said. Irina turned to see Bova walking in with a tray of food. A crutch was in his left hand to support him. Irina looked down and saw Bova's bandaged leg.

"No… Issei will win… we've been up against worse odds," Irina said. "He has to…"

* * *

Issei panted as he tried to stand. Kali had beaten him quite literally into the ground. He was astonished that the Goddess still had this much strength even after being beaten over and over again by Ddraig. He chuckled a little. Just how much training did she do to get to this level of power.

"Your pantheon really is full of monsters," Issei said as he managed to find the strength to sit.

Kali looked down at him and smiled softly.

"I'll take that as a compliment. You've done well to make it this far. Therefore I shall honor you by using my strongest technique to eliminate you," Kali said.

"Heh," Issei grinned.

Kali raised her hand and a large pillar of white light shot into the sky.

"This is my most powerful attack. Humans have even worshipped it as an aspect of me. This attack is more powerful than Sirzechs Lucifer's Ruin The Extinct and I shall grant you the honor of being eliminated by it," Kali said.

"**Samhara Kali**," Kali moved her hand to bring down the beam when a blast of red fire hit her and sent her flying. The pillar dispersed as Mitsuki landed next to Issei. Rikka landed in front of the two, wielding Obsidian Rite and Agneyastra.

"Issei, get up," Rikka said. "We're not going down without a fight! **Rite of the Dark God: Code Laevateinn!**"

Kali shot forth from the rubble and slammed her blade against Rikka. Rikka's eyes widened as Kali's raw strength sent her sliding back.

"The Agneyastra…," Kali narrowed her eyes.

"I've been getting that the entire match," Rikka said. She disappeared in a burst of speed and engaged Kali in battle. Mitsuki glanced at them before grabbing Issei and retreating to a rooftop. She knelt down and began to heal with what little healing magic she knew.

"Aniki," Mitsuki said as she healed what she could.

"I'm fine… just let me catch my breath," Issei said.

"I'm going to wear Kali down with Rikka," Mitsuki said, standing. Issei nodded and she took off.

**[Issei… we really thought that was it back there.]** Ddraig said.

"_Yeah, I'm just glad they got here in time,"_ Issei said as he got to his feet.

Rikka coughed as Kali rammed her knee into her stomach. The girl dropped her blades and fell clutching her abdomen as Kali brought her foot over her head.

Mitsuki leapt off the building at great speeds and slammed her fist into Kali's face. The Goddess skidded back, looking up as Mitsuki summoned several violet orbs of energy and fired them at her.

A thunderous explosion rocked the area, sending dust and rubble everywhere. Mitsuki hovered as she saw Kali walking out of the smoke with some burn marks present on her skin. She coughed and stumbled slightly.

"Tch…," Kali said. "Your group is quite persistent… it's getting annoying."

"We don't know when to give up I guess…," Mitsuki said, forming blades in her hand.

"I guess… I'll just have to wipe you all out at once," Kali replied. White aura began to cover her and she roared, sending an aura wave at them. Rikka reacted quickly, forming a barrier that barely held back the wave. Mitsuki landed next to her and added her power.

"Keep adding!" Rikka said.

"I'm trying!" Mitsuki said, struggling against the pressure.

The girls' eyes widened when the barrier began to crack and pushed back harder than before.

**[|Transfer|]**

Rikka and Mitsuki felt a rush of energy surge through them and a red coating of energy covered the barrier. They turned to see Issei standing there with his hand outstretched.

"Heh," Issei said. "It would suck if I just sat back and watched you both do all the work."

"Aniki…," Mitsuki said. Rikka smiled as Issei stood in between them.

"Right now, we need to work together. Kali's too strong for any of us to defeat alone," Issei said.

**(I doubt that all of you together can take her out but miracles do happen.)** Mastema said.

Issei ignored her and continued. "Rikka, you back us up. Mitsuki and I will go in and engage Kali."

"Me as backup?" Rikka asked.

"Yeah," Issei said.

"Whatever happened to Rikka's plan?" Mitsuki asked.

"The plan was thrown out when Kali called Issei over here," Rikka said.

"Issei Hyoudou."

The three turned to see Kali standing a distance from them covered in white aura.

"I can see that you still have the will to stand and much less stand before me again," Kali said, grinning. _Just like her…_, she added as an afterthought.

"Well I'm glad I remind you so much of your friend," Issei said. She grinned and increased the force, sending them skidding back. Her violet eyes rested upon Rikka.

"Daughter of Agni," Kali said.

Rikka's eyes widened. "So you didn't need me to say it?" Rikka asked.

"You have her eyes. It was easy to figure out," Kali said.

"Agni?" Issei asked.

"Aniki… long story short but Rikka-senpai is the daughter of Agni-sama," Mitsuki said. "We'll talk about it later."

"Yeah, ready?" Issei asked.

The two nodded and they pushed back against her. Kali's eyes widened as her aura shattered. A smirk made its way to her face as she eyed the three.

"Haaa!" Kali took one step and took off towards them.

Issei and Mitsuki let out a roar and dashed towards her. Issei and Mitsuki clashed with Kali as the two traded blows with the Goddess. Kali matched them blow for blow, parrying and blocking their kicks and punches.

She dug her fist into Issei's solar plexus, causing him to choke. Issei persisted through the pain and grabbed her arm, surprising Kali. Mitsuki leapt and kneed Kali in the face, causing her to stumble back.

She rebounded and shot off towards Issei and Mitsuki when the two moved, revealing Rikka who had a flaming sphere in her hands.

"Take this!" Rikka fired the sphere, hitting Kali square on, sending her into the air. Rikka fired three more blasts, hitting Kali. Kali flew all the way and crashed into the Washington Memorial, growling as she looked at them. Issei and Mitsuki appeared in front of her and landed their blows. Kali's eyes glowed as she unleashed a volley of telekinetic blasts into Issei and Mitsuki, sending them back. She clotheslined both of them and flew off towards Rikka.

Rikka fired a volley of blasts that Kali tanked and crashed into the ground. Rikka avoided by leaping into the air and slashed Kali with her swords. Kali parried the swords with a barrier, knocking Rikka back.

Meanwhile, Issei and Mitsuki flew towards the two.

"Aniki! Throw me at her!" Mitsuki yelled. Issei nodded and slowed down, clasped his hands together in the same manner as a volleyball player does when they're about to return the serve. Mitsuki hopped on his hand and Issei threw her at Kali.

Kali felt an energy signature heading towards her and turned in time to see a violet missile crash into her, plowing through several buildings. Kali growled as Mitsuki plowed into her and grabbed her face. Mitsuki's eyes widened as Kali reversed their positions and slammed Mitsuki into the ground, dragging her across the concrete.

"MITSUKI!" Issei increased his speed.

"_Damnit! Tiamat! Ddraig!"_

**[|Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!|]**

Issei slammed into Kali, forcing her to release Mitsuki. Mitsuk got to her feet and slammed her fist into her jaw alongside Issei. Kali flew into the air where Rikka appeared and slashed her with Obsidian Rite and Agneyastra.

Kali let out a soundless gasp of pain as she felt the divine sword of Agni inflict a grievous wound on her midsection.

"Time to finish this!" Issei said.

**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**

"Haah!" Issei took off towards her with a black and red sphere of spiralling energy.

"Issei!" Rikka engulfed Issei's sphere with the flames of Agneyastra.

"ANIKI DO IT!"

In the hospital room, the rest of the team watched with bated breath.

"ISSEI! GO!" Irina cheered.

Kali turned to see Issei slam the orb into her.

"**Divine Deep Crimson Dragon Spiral!**" Issei yelled as the orb slammed into Kali. Kali's eyes widened as her entire body was engulfed in the orb and shot into the sky. The orb traveled until it reached the height limit of the arena's space-time and slammed into it, exploding.

Issei began to fall and saw Kali falling from the smoke. He watched as Kali's body began to dissolve as he felt himself blackout.

* * *

Issei woke up with a start and groaned. He looked down and saw bandages wrapped around his lower abdomen. He looked around and heard the beeping of an EKG machine. Something rustled next to him and he saw a familiar mop of chestnut brown hair.

"Irina?" Issei asked, shaking her gently.

Irina mumbled before sitting up. Her eyes widened when she saw Issei. "Issei! You're awake!"

She hugged Issei, causing him to chuckle and groan in pain.

Irina felt him tense and moved back.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"Where are the others?" Issei asked.

Irina smiled.

"They went to get food for you. Rossweisse-sensei is getting Lily some ice cream and Rias went to go get more Phenex Tears," Irina said.

"Rias's team is here?" Issei asked.

"Of course… why wouldn't they be?" Irina asked.

Issei smiled. He was glad to know that despite everything, she still cared for him.

"So, who won?" Issei asked.

"We don't know…," Irina said.

"Huh?" Issei looked at her dumbfounded.

"Both of you retired at about the same time so they're combing through the footage to see who retired first," Irina said.

"I see," Issei said.

There was a knock on the door. Irina stood to go open it and froze. Kali stood at the entrance, bandages covering her forehead and her arm in a cast. She walked in without saying a word and pulled up a chair.

"I see you're doing well," Kali said.

"K- Kali-sama!" Irina said.

"Oh… where are my manners? I'm not intruding am I?" Kali asked.

"N- No! Please come in! I'll give you two some privacy. I imagine you want to discuss the match!" Irina said. She left the room and waited outside.

"I never said she had to leave but oh well," Kali turned her attention back to Issei.

"If you're gonna ask how I have it, my answer is that I don't know," Issei said.

"I know that but… if you ever need to know anything about its original wielder or what it does, don't hesitate to ask. The fact that one of you managed to get Ellie's power is nothing short of miraculous," Kali said.

Issei nodded and looked down.

"Who is Ellie?" Issei asked.

"Ellie was everyone's nickname for the one you called Lucifer. Her original name was Helel. Ellie just came about because Michael couldn't pronounce her name properly when he was a child," Kali said. "She was my best friend and my rival…"

"Kinda like me and Vali or me and Irina," Issei said.

Kali nodded and the two sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So who won?" Issei asked.

"I think we'll get that message right about now. The Maou Beelzebub informed me that they're almost done analyzing the footage," Kali said.

Kali stood from her chair.

"Remember, if you ever need anything. Don't be afraid to ask," Kali said as she made to leave.

"Wait!" Issei called. Kali stopped.

"Do you know what happened to Agni-sama? Why wasn't she here?" Issei asked.

"Agni was killed by the Evil God Mara and his army in an ambush. I believe that your Knight's hatred towards our pantheon was due to Indra's failure to avenge her," Kali said.

"I see," Issei said.

A pinging noise alerted the two. Issei reached over for his scroll and saw Naud's face on the screen. Issei increased the volume to better hear the results.

"**After careful combing and analysis, it has been decided that the winner is… TEAM MIDNIGHT DRAGON EMPEROR OF CRIMSON TRUTH LED BY ISSEIII HYOUDOU!"**

Kali smiled. "Congratulations," she said.

"Thanks but why do I get the feeling that something's off about this," Issei said.

"Probably just nerves. Anyway, good luck in the finals, Issei," Kali said. She gave him one last smile and left the room, leaving Issei in his thoughts.

Irina walked back in, this time with Sirzechs entering the room with her.

"Issei," Sirzechs greeted.

"Aniki," Issei said.

"First off, I would congratulate you for making it to the Finals and that they will occur in two weeks to give your group and the other peerages time to heal and prepare. Second, that power you displayed in the match. There's someone here who would like to talk to you about it," Sirzechs said. "She came last minute when your match ended but please, you two treat her with the most respect. She is my teacher after all."

"Teacher?" Issei and Irina asked simultaneously.

The door opened and a woman with violet hair and golden eyes walked in. She smiled as she looked at Issei.

"Hello, Red Dragon Emperor. I am Mammon, one of the last of the Seven Prime Demons. Let's talk shall we?"

* * *

**Blacklight Dossier: Object 4234**

**Object Name: Astra**

**Object Type: Divine Weapon**

**File: Astras are the divine weapons wielded by the Gods of the Hindu Pantheon. They are famous and appear in various epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In these tales, the Astras are wielded by heroes such as Rama wielding the Brahmastra and Karna wielding the Vasavi Shakti. In modern-day, there is only one recorded Astra user among humanity and that is Rikka Kuroyuki, daughter of Agni and wielder of the Agneyastra.**

**Object Class: Class 3-2**

**Current Owner/Wielder: Various, Rikka Kuroyuki is the only recorded wielder in modern-day**

**End File**

* * *

**Reviews:**

**AnimeFan0216: Ah yes, the change. I actually came up with the change in their relationship when I began the rewrite. I felt as if it would be kinda nice to show a relationship between Lucifer and the other Gods so that it's more than just her siblings and kids who remember her.**

**leader. dbz: Actually, the finals will be the same in the sense that it's a battle royale. I also shifted some stuff around from canon so there are more of the other teams making it. As for Top 10 Gods/Beings making it, we still have Team Leisure of the Kings, Team Vajra, and Team White Dragon Emperor of the Morning Star, and Team Surtr.**

**Scrumblenut: I actually wanted to give Kali four arms like she does in Hindu Mythology but it didn't fit with my base for her.**

**Rhongomyniad: I chose Kamadeva because I was more familiar with him. *cough* Fate Grand Order *cough* But your comment really resonated with Rikka's "You're a lover not a fighter" statement. I will make Omakes about them soon. And the winner of the best daughter fight... I'll leave that up to you guys. Who do you think or want to win? Hehehe**

* * *

**Right so, Issei won. But did he actually? Kukuku... Now again, before I get more reviews telling me that Agni is a guy. I know. I just genderbent him for fanfic purposes like DxD did to Gabriel. Okay, cool! So Rikka is the demigod daughter of Agni, who for those of you who aren't familiar with Avatar the Last Airbender or Hindu Mythology is the God of Fire and the brother (sister in this case) of Indra, Surya, and Varuna. (In Avatar, his name was in Agni Kai) Alright, so that's all I have to say so far. Wash your hands. Don't rob your neighbors. Wear a mask. And drop a review!**


	25. A Date With A Valkyrie

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Hospital, Hell First Level Gehenna; February 22, 2020, 4:57 PM; Current Time; 3 Minutes and 20 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"Mammon?" Issei asked.

"Yes," Mammon said as she pulled out a chair and took a seat. Sirzechs closed the door as he stood off to the side and paid attention to the conversation that was about to happen. Irina sat on the other side of Issei's bed, watching the Elder Devil with a guarded look.

"Don't worry Ace of Michael. I won't do anything suspicious to him," Mammon said.

Irina nodded, opting not to respond for fear of offending her. She had read and heard about the Prime Demons. Devils that were so powerful that they were touted to be Gods that wore a devil's skin. They were the apex and pinnacle of their kind prior to the existence of Super Devils and still held the respect of all Devilkind. Their political power was great and surpassed possibly that of the Four Satans and would have ruled the Underworld if not for their jadedness.

But here was one of them. One of the last two that remained sitting in front of her and Issei.

"Is this about?" Issei began.

"No. At least, not entirely. Yes, I do want to talk about how you could possibly have the Shevirat Ha-Kelim but there are other things I want to talk to you about," Mammon said.

"Okay… why don't we get the hard one out of the way? I don't know how I have it," Issei said.

"I know that much but… do you know what the power you hold can do?" Mammon asked.

"Well… Kali said something about having the power to create and utilizing the powers of all Devils," Issei said.

"Yes, you displayed it during your fight. The Power of Destruction. Hellfire. The Power of Hole," Mammon said. "It's only a matter of time before you start using other abilities."

"You're saying that one day… Issei will be able to use the power of all Seventy Two Pillars and the Extra Demon Clans?" Sirzechs asked.

"No. Well, yes but not in the sense you're thinking. Issei will be able to use powers that are similar to theirs. The Shevirat Ha-Kelim is a power that allows you to use the powers of Absolute Zero according to my mother. She never explained what that meant but… it is a power unique to the Biblical Faction," Mammon said.

"So why Issei?" Irina asked.

"Like I said… I don't know," Mammon answered. "Perhaps it's a sign."

"A sign of what?" Sirzechs asked.

Mammon remained silent.

"Let's move onto the other thing I came here for. I have a request that I would like for you to fulfill when you have the time," Mammon said.

"What is it?" Issei asked.

"I would like for DxD to head to the Philippines to find someone for me," Mammon said.

"DxD? Why do we need DxD to find someone, sensei?" Sirzechs asked.

"This person is reclusive and will possibly react in a hostile manner. I need you to deliver a message to her," Mammon said.

"What's the message?" Issei asked.

"The Seventh stirs and walks like a lion, ready to consume all. She'll know what it means," Mammon said. She got out of her chair and began to walk to the door.

"Wait!" Issei called.

"What is it?" Mammon asked.

"Where do I even look? What does she even look like?" Issei asked.

"Her eyes are like mine," Mammon replied before walking out the door.

Issei sighed. That narrowed things down.

"Sorry about her. Sensei isn't really good at giving hints. It's a wonder I became as strong as I am now," Sirzechs said.

"Yeah… kinda hard to believe that you're really a Super Devil considering how she is. How did you even learn anything?" Irina asked.

"Well, a combination of self-learning and getting my ass beat into the ground. Eventually, I turned the tables and began beating her but for the majority of the time when I was younger, she threw me around like a ragdoll," Sirzechs said. "Nobody is strong off the bat. I may have been born a Super Devil but I had to train to master my powers like everyone else."

Issei and Irina nodded.

"Well, I better get going. Remember, you guys have two weeks to get ready. Use that time however you want and remember what Sensei asked," Sirzechs said.

Issei and Irina nodded as he left the room.

Irina sat next to Issei's bed, holding his hand.

"So what's the plan?" Irina asked.

"I was thinking… I should probably take Rossweisse on that date I promised her and train. The match against Kali showed me how much we still need to get stronger. The people in the finals will be no joke. Vali. Indra. Sairaorg. Rias. We can't afford to lose there," Issei said.

Irina nodded.

"Just make sure that… when you take Rossweisse on your date, you treat her well," Irina said.

"When do I not?" Issei replied.

"Just standard protocol. Rossweisse is our friend after all," Irina said.

The door opened, catching their attention to reveal the rest of the team. Issei laughed as he was surrounded by the others and began to reveal to them his plan for the next two weeks.

* * *

**Kuoh Town, February 29, 2020, 10:30 AM**

* * *

It had been a week since the team was released from the hospital. Issei was thoroughly chastised by both Azrael and Grayfia, both of whom had given him an earful about a concept called regard for one's safety or something. Issei didn't remember. He had tuned them out and hummed a song inside his head much to the amusement of the occupants inside of his soul. Most of them anyway. Mastema had become unusually silent after the match. The first thing he had expected upon waking up was to see Mastema's transparent form and to hear her annoying remarks inside his head but she had been quiet.

Other than that, the past week had been uneventful. The training sessions had gone as well as always. Rikka began revealing more powers that she had never shown before and Issei kept forgetting to ask her about her mom. He figured he'd save it for later and just opted to train alongside her. Bova and Rikka had become oddly closer after the match and Irina had been making trips to the Blacklight base more often.

Every time he asked, she smiled and held up her MagiTech bracelets and said it was a surprise that she wanted to reveal when the finals match began.

Issei sighed as he combed his hair and checked his shirt. Today was the day he had set for the date with Rossweisse. He had cornered her after school on Monday in her office away from the other students. To say that she didn't scream at him about tact and the fact that he might get her fired was an understatement. But despite all that, Issei managed to get his request for a date out of his mouth.

"Do I look good?" Issei asked.

**[You look fine.]** Ddraig said.

**|Hmmm, your hair's a bit messy on the left|** Tiamat said.

Issei looked in the mirror and saw one stray lock and brushed it. He smiled. Perfect. Now, he was ready. He walked out of his room and went downstairs where he saw Irina reading a book. Rikka sat next to her polishing the famous red sword that had caught the entire world's attention.

The Agneyastra. The famous weapon of the Goddess Agni, bless her heart wherever she is.

"You look good. You heading out?" Rikka asked, looking up from her work.

"Yeah, I got a date with Rossweisse-san," Issei said.

"Ah right… your girlfriend let you have a harem," she said, returning to her work.

"It's not that bad. Most guys dream of having multiple girls," Issei said.

"Yes, but society sees that are repulsive. Monogamy is the social norm after all," Rikka said.

"Issei. You're gonna be late," Irina said. Issei glanced at her and then his watch. His eyes widened as he immediately ran out the door, leaving Rikka and Irina to watch in amusement.

"Are you really okay with this?" Rikka asked.

"I am. Besides, it's not fair to Rossweisse. She was Issei's lover prior to the incident with the mind control. It wouldn't be fair to her if she didn't get another chance just because of an incident that happened while she was at work," Irina said.

"You're really open-minded with this," Rikka said.

"I guess… and besides, it's not like this is frowned upon in the Supernatural World anyway. Most people in this society marry for power rather than love. There are only a few that I know that actually married for love," Irina said.

"Hmm. I guess you're one of those lucky few. I can see the way he looks at you," Rikka said.

"Yeah, I guess I am lucky that Issei isn't like the other men in the Supernatural World," Irina said.

Issei ran down the street towards the agreed-upon meeting place. He shoved past several people, earning yells of anger which he quickly apologized for and stopped at the fountain. He panted, feeling oddly winded despite the fact that he had done more strenuous activities for longer periods of time.

**[Remember. It's not like what you're doing is new. Just make sure the both of you enjoy this]** Ddraig said.

"_I know how to take a girl on a date,"_ Issei said.

**|Yes. You do. Don't make him feel anxious, Ddraig.|** Tiamat chided. Ddraig sighed inside his head though Issei swore he heard a chuckle.

"ISSEI!"

Issei turned to see Rossweisse running towards him. She looked breathtaking in Issei's opinion. Her violet-silver hair was tied up in a ponytail which was supported by a small pink bow. She wore no make-up, allowing her natural beauty to shine through. Her clothing consisted of a snug yellow hoodie that did very little to hide the figure she had. She wore a black pleated skirt with black leggings as well as short fur boots that extended almost halfway up her calves.

Rossweisse stopped in front of Issei to catch her breath before she stood straight and smiled. Issei gulped as her turquoise eyes stared into his very soul and her smile made Issei feel week in the knees.

"I hope you didn't wait long!" Rossweisse said.

"No. Actually, I just got here. I was afraid that I was the one that made you wait," Issei said, laughing in an embarrassed manner.

"Oh. Well, shall we get going?" Rossweisse asked, grabbing his arm.

Issei smiled and the two walked off.

"You're rather bold today," Issei said as they crossed the street. Rossweisse just smiled, her fingers interlocked with his as the two made their way to their first destination.

"Aquariums are such a cliche place for a date," Issei said.

"Yeah but… I've never been to one before," Rossweisse said.

"You haven't?" Issei asked.

"No, back when I was in University, I devoted all of my time to my thesis paper on Trihexa. While all the valkyries went off and found their destined Einherjar, I remained in the library and did research. By the time, I found the time, I was already working as Odin's bodyguard which was basically just being a glorified maid," Rossweisse said as they entered the building.

"Bet you're glad you left right?" Issei said.

"I wouldn't say I was glad. You were there when I essentially got fired," Rossweisse said, looking at Issei blankly.

"Right…," Issei said.

The two walked into a tunnel aquarium. Rossweisse paused to marvel at the amount of marine life that swam in front of her. A large shark swam by the glass, startling her slightly. She jumped and grabbed onto Issei, causing him to laugh a little. Rossweisse heard this and pouted.

"It's… it's not funny!" she said, her cheeks stained red in embarrassment.

Her face wasn't helping as Issei laughed harder, forcing her to slug him in the arm. Her rook strength caused Issei to stumble back a bit as his laugh quieted down. He rubbed his arm and snickered at her embarrassed face.

"Let's just move on before another shark jumpscares you," Issei said. Rosssweisse rolled her eyes and the two moved forward in the aquarium.

The two moved through the building, looking at the various marine life. Issei watched as Rossweisse ran ahead of him towards the pools where people could interact with the marine life. He smiled when Rossweisse called him over to pet a sand shark. He dipped his hand in the pool and gently ran his hand along its smooth skin.

"Not even a day has passed yet but I'm already enjoying myself at the pools," Rossweisse said as she stroked another shark.

"It's not done yet. I still have a lot of things I want to do. A lot of things we need to catch up on," Issei said.

"Even if we don't get to do all the things we planned, I'm still happy we got the time to do this," Rossweisse said. Issei looked at her and nodded. He felt like he did when he was with Irina. He was completely undeserving of this woman in front of him. The waiting he had made her go through as he sorted himself out and fought in the matches. Issei prepared himself. Today, he was going to give Rossweisse one of the best days in her entire life.

"Hey Issei!"

Issei blinked and saw Rossweisse was no longer next to him. He looked around and saw her waving as she took a plate full of fish from one of the aquarium workers.

"This guy said that we can feed the seals with fish!" Rossweisse said.

"Wait for me!" Issei said as he ran over to her.

* * *

"I wonder how they're doing?" Irina asked as she closed her book. She sighed.

_Should I follow them?_ Irina thought.

"I wouldn't do that. You'd be intruding," Rikka said as she sheathed Obsidian Rite.

"Eh?" How did you?"

"You were thinking out loud nya!"

The two turned to see Kuroka and Ingvild standing behind them. Irina jumped as she looked at Kuroka.

"How did you get in here!?" Irina asked.

"She let me in," Kuroka said, jutting her thumb at Ingvild. Ingvild looked at Irina apologetically.

"Sorry, I thought it was Issei or Mitsuki," Ingvild said as she yawned.

"You sure woke up late," Rikka said as she grabbed the remote.

"Farming for stuff in Monster Hunter World… gotta be ready for the next siege," Ingvild said as she collapsed on the couch. Kuroka hopped over and sat down next to Irina.

"So… who were you going to follow?" Kuroka asked as she placed her feet on the table. Irina looked between Kuroka's feet and her face and sighed.

"Issei is taking Rossweisse on a date," Irina said. "I was thinking of following them."

"And I'm saying not to. You said it yourself. Rossweisse deserves the time she's getting with Issei so why intrude?" Rikka said as she put on a movie.

"It would be fun to spy on them and really easy for me to do so," Kuroka said as she popped out her cat ears.

"Not all of us are blessed with the gift of shapeshifting, Kuroka-san," Irina said dryly.

"Well, not that I'm going to. Vali only let us have this short break to recover our strength and I have to head to Kyoto in a few hours anyway," Kuroka said.

"Kyoto?" Ingvild asked.

"Mmm! You two are new so I'll say this. I'm the current-!"

"Devil Ambassador to Kyoto," Rikka said as she put on _Scream_.

"Nyo! How? How do you know that?" Kuroka asked.

"I have youkai friends in Kyoto," Rikka lied as naturally as she breathed. Of course, Rikka couldn't say that she was part of an international, inter-pantheon secret organization that kept track of everything that happened in the mundane and supernatural worlds.

"Huh… well, your friends won't know this but Yasaka-sama said that I'm needed for something extremely important. It's why she sent me home for a few weeks," Kuroka said.

"What's this important thing that Yasaka-sama apparently needs you for?" Irina asked.

"I don't actually know, nya ehehe," she answered.

* * *

Rossweisse and Issei walked out of the aquarium with Issei silently praying to every god in existence for the safe passage of his wallet's soul into the afterlife. He looked at Rossweisse, who was hugging an orca plushie close to her chest as she cooed at it. She treated the stuffed toy like a pet. Not that Issei found that weird but… did she really have to buy the other stuff?

**(Is this what happens nowadays when you take a girl out on a date?)**

Issei blinked. His eyes darted around and he spotted the familiar semi-transparent figure of Mastema floating in the air next to Rossweisse.

"_You're here. I thought you died or something,"_ Issei said.

**(How rude. I was merely recovering of course. All that power you spent fighting Kali sent me into a sleep-like state to recover.)** Mastema said. She looked down at the orca plushie and all of the things Rossweisse had bought.

**(Wow… your wallet must have taken one hell of a beating)** Mastema said.

"_She cleaned me out. I brought enough money for food at the movies but now I'm out!" _Issei hissed.

**(I don't see how that's my problem… just go withdraw some yen from an ATM machine or something)** Mastema said.

"_I think I saw one by the entrance. But what do I say?"_ Issei asked.

**(Bathroom excuse duh)**

Issei felt like facepalming but doing so would draw Rossweisse's attention. He turned to Rossweisse.

"Hey, uh, do you mind waiting here for a bit. I need to go to the restroom," Issei said. Rossweisse looked up from her plushie and nodded.

"I'll wait here by the sign," Rossweisse said.

"Thanks!" Issei said as he turned and ran back into the aquarium. He weaved through the crowd and found the ATM. Issei sighed in relief as he pulled out his card and withdrew money. As he pocketed the cash, he turned around and headed back to the exit when he saw something that made his blood boil.

Rossweisse stood next to the sign as some random person was clearly flirting with her. The man had his arm on the sign as he stood directly in front of her. He had slick blonde hair and an earring as he grinned. He wore a white button-up shirt that was slightly parted at the front.

Issei breathed as he calmly walked over to them.

"So… why don't you and I take this somewhere more private?" the man said as he grinned. This girl was top notch. Her body was… he couldn't even describe it.

"Ummm…, I'm sorry. I'm with my boyfriend," Rossweisse said.

"Forget him. I can show you a better time," he said.

"Ummm," Rossweisse said. She was really starting to feel uncomfortable just being around this guy.

"Hey, I'm back."

Rossweisse thanked the Norns for that intervention. The man in front of her turned and saw Issei standing next to them.

"You want something?" the man asked.

"Hey, Rossweisse. Ready to go?" Issei asked. The man stiffened. This little stick was ignoring him. Rossweisse nodded and grabbed Issei's hand. As the two were about to walk off, the man grabbed Issei's shoulder.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Where do you think you're going off taking my girl like that?" he asked.

Issei turned and his eye bled black while his irises glowed an eerie green. The man slowly took his hand off Issei's shoulder as he stumbled back, assaulted with visions of every possible death he could suffer at the hands of this man- no monster. The silhouettes of two dragons stood behind him and moved towards him. As their faces got closer, their mouths opened. He covered his face with his arms and prepared for the worst when he heard someone speak.

"You okay?"

He opened his eyes and saw Issei and Rossweisse staring at him. Looking fearfully at Issei, the man got up and ran as fast as he could.

"What was that all about?" Issei asked. Rossweisse rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Come on. The next one's on me," Rossweisse said as she dragged Issei into the street.

"So where are we going?" Issei asked.

"There's this place I wanted to go," Rossweisse said.

"What's the place?" Issei asked.

"It's a surprise," she said.

Issei nodded as Rossweisse led him down the street. Issei watched as her smile grew when they turned a corner. The surroundings slowly became more and more familiar until Issei realized that they were back in the neighborhood. He glanced at Rossweisse, who kept pushing forward and sighed.

"Rossweisse, why are we back?" Issei asked.

"Because, I want you to push me on a swing," Rossweisse replied.

"Push you on a swing?" Issei asked.

"Yeah, I just want to do something simple. I know that… you spent the entire's day worth of cash on the gift shop just for me and… I feel really bad about making you spend all that money," Rossweisse said.

"Rossweisse, it's fine. Really, you don't have to throw away any plan you had because of me," Issei said.

Rossweisse stopped as they reached the park entrance. There were kids running around and parents relaxing on benches as the two stood there. Rossweisse refused to face Issei.

"I'm not throwing anything away. I just want… to enjoy the day with you. I don't care if it's at an amusement park or the theatre or even if we're just taking a walk. I don't care as long as I'm spending some time with you," Rossweisse said.

"Rossweisse," Issei said. "Wanna go? That kid just got off."

Rossweisse looked back at Issei, who was smiling softly at her. Rossweisse nodded and the two walked over to the empty swing. Rossweisse placed her stuff down and sat on the seat.

"Ready?" Issei asked. Rossweisse nodded and Issei began to push her. She laughed as Issei pushed and turned her head.

"Push harder!" Rossweisse said. Issei nodded and pushed her a little harder, sending her higher into the air.

"Hey, so I was thinking," Issei said as he pushed her on the swing.

"What?" Rossweisse asked as she flew up.

"When are you taking your high-class devil exam?" Issei asked.

"I'm only a Mid-Class Devil so I got to wait first," Rossweisse said.

"Huh, so after the games?" Issei asked.

"Probably. Why?" Rossweisse asked.

"Just asking," Issei said.

"Hmmm. What about you? How are things going with your team?" Rossweisse asked.

"Is this some ploy to get me to confess the strategies we use to win matches?" Issei asked in a teasing tone.

"No. If I wanted to, I'd use other methods," Rossweisse said seductively.

"Ahem… uh, there are kids," Issei said.

"Anyway, are you guys healed up?" she asked.

"Pretty much. We've just been training for the most part. Today, since we're on a date, everyone ran off to go train by themselves. Irina and Rikka are probably sparring in the basement of the house right now," he said.

"How and where did you find the daughter of Agni?" Rossweisse asked curiously.

"Well, I met her while I was in Kyoto to ask Yasaka to see if she knew any youkai that would be good for my team for the Azazel Cup," Issei said.

"And you ran into her?" Rossweisse asked.

"Well, yes and no," Issei lied. "I saw her getting attacked by a pair of Oni and wanted to help but she cut them down by herself. She moved so fast too. Faster than Kiba can I think outside of his armor."

"Faster than Kiba?"

"Yeah, I barely saw her move."

It wasn't a total lie. Issei's first spar with Kuroyuki Rikka was an eye-opener for him in terms of how outclassed he was when it came to speed. She was beyond fast, moving at speeds that Issei could honestly say surpassed his and Vali's. Of course, he attributed it to her being a demigod and her brutal training at the hands of Taki.

"What about you guys? What are your plans for the finals?" Issei asked.

"Mostly to fix Tatsuya's attitude. He's a bit… arrogant. He sometimes rushes in without thinking but overall, he's pretty decent as a fighter," Rossweisse said. "Rias is also spending some time outside training with Sirzechs-sama."

"I see. What about Eren and Asia? How are they doing?" Issei asked.

"The two have… basically become the team support. Asia with her healing skill and Eren's been reading botanical journals and stuff about plant medicines to help Asia. Last I saw them, Eren was developing a technique to sprout a plant that can spray a cloud of healing dust that heals minor wounds so Asia won't be overburdened with the sole duty of healing," she said.

"Nice to know he's carrying his own weight," Issei said. "I'm proud of them."

"I think I'm good on the swings," Rossweisse said as she planted her heels in the bark.

"Huh?" Issei looked at her oddly.

"If we don't go, we'll miss the movie," Rossweisse said.

"Oh crap!" Issei said.

"Wait! Our stuff!" Rossweisse called as Issei picked her up.

"Just put them in a pocket dimension or something!" Issei said. Rossweisse sighed and discreetly cast a spell that wouldn't be detected. The bags sunk into the magic circle as Issei ran off at high speeds. Once he was sure that no one was looking, Issei jumped off the ground and began hopping from roof to roof until he reached the theatre.

* * *

Irina swung Hauteclere in the arena. While the others watched movies, Irina decided to get some training in. She lowered Hauteclere and stared at her wrists.

"Come on…," Irina said silently.

"Need help?"

Irina turned around and saw Rikka standing behind her, holding a bokken.

"I thought you guys were watching movies?" Irina asked.

"Hmm… I wanted to come down here and see what you were up to," Rikka said.

"I'm just trying to get my magitech to work," Irina said as she stared at her wrist bands.

"What does it do?" Rikka asked.

"I wanted something that enhances me physically and magically. The R&D people looked at me like I asked for something they never heard of before too," Irina said.

"I can see why. The features you asked for are pretty generic," Rikka said.

"One of them said the same thing so I said that I wanted it to be able to assist me in any way and I added the word biblical in there and they gave me this," Irina said.

"That doesn't really answer my question," Rikka said.

"I can go fast. Control Water. Draw power from the Sun, control fire, and control wind," Irina said.

"The Flood, The Storm, and Holy Fire but fast?" Rikka asked.

"It was based on Asahel, one of Zeruiah's three sons, who was said to have been extremely fast and graceful that he might as well have been a gazelle," Irina said.

"I see… so have you made any progress in unlocking its Codification?" Rikka asked.

"Codification?" Irina looked at her strangely.

"Sort of like its Balance Breaker. Like mine for example," Rikka said as she unsheathed Obsidian Rite. She gripped the hilt and breathed. Irina was pushed back as a wave of power exploded from Rikka. Black aura covered her as red markings appeared on her body. The sclera of Rikka's eyes turned black as her red eyes began to glow.

"**Rite of the Dark God: Code Laevateinn**," Rikka said.

"This is Codification. It is the ultimate form of your MagiTech and can drastically enhance your abilities. But it can leave you extremely tired afterward if you push yourself too hard in that form," Rikka said. She breathed, releasing the form and resheathed Obsidian Rite.

"So… will you help me unlock my Codification before the Main Stage starts. I heard that they're making it a Battle Royale and we still have opponents on Kali's level to face," Irina said.

"Indra. Typhon. And a host of others," Rikka said. "Alright. First things first. Unlocking your Codification requires being able to sync with the fragment of your soul that's inside the MagiTech. By doing so, you'll lift the restrictions that are placed on it."

"That sounds easy," Irina said.

"It's not as easy as it sounds. It involves hours of meditation to try and sync with the soul," Rikka said.

"I'll give it a go," Irina said.

"Remember. Breathe. Clear your mind. Relax," Rikka said, reminding her of some of the basics of meditation.

Irina nodded and sat cross-legged. She took in a large breath of air and exhaled. She kept doing this until her body reached a rhythm. Irina's brows furrowed as she tried to clear her mind, finding this harder than she had initially stated.

"Not so easy is it?" Rikka asked.

"It would be… if you didn't say anything," Irina retorted.

"Hmmm," Rikka smiled and sat down in front of her. She pulled out her AS and projected the time. She stared at Irina and sighed. They were going to be here for a while.

* * *

Issei and Rossweisse walked out of the movie theatre with Rossweisse glued to his arm. Her face was pale as she shook slightly. Issei kept stealing glances at her pale, terrified face as he struggled to contain his laughter. His muffled snickers were noticed by Rossweisse, who glared and pinched his arm. Issei nearly bit his tongue as he tried to stifle his scream of pain.

"That's not funny!" Rossweisse said. "That movie was really scary!"

"Come on. It was just about a woman running from her crazy ex, who happened to have a suit that can turn them invisible," Issei said. "It's not like we haven't faced things down that were more terrifying."

"But still," Rossweisse said. "The way that guy snuck into the mental facility and just killed all the guards… and his obsession with her was the scary part."

"Hmmm, I thought you would've read the book first," Issei said.

"I'm not that old Issei," Rossweisse said, pouting. The two looked up and saw the sun setting. Issei smiled and grabbed Rossweisse's hand as the two began to walk home. Rossweisse blushed a little as she decided to hug Issei's arm. Issei's face slowly turned red as he felt her large, soft breasts envelop his arm.

As the two walked home, Issei decided to do something.

"Hey, there's somewhere I want to take you. It's not far from the house," Issei said as he dragged her down the street. The two kept walking until they arrived at the overpass. Issei's eyes widened in horror. The field was ruined. Scorched potmarks littered the place. Issei took a small step forward and fell to his knees.

"Who did this?" Issei whispered.

Rossweisse noticed the drop in Issei's mood and walked over to him. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder as she kneeled next to him.

"This place," Issei said. "This place was where Irina and I became best friends and where Rias and I…"

Rossweisse remained silent as she rubbed soothing circles on Issei's back.

"Is it still here?" Issei looked up and scanned the area for a certain rock. A rock that had his name alongside Irina, Rias, and Akeno's names engraved into it. Issei looked around until he spotted a rock that was blackened with ash. He ran over to it and wiped the ash off, sighing in relief to see that the rock was still… somewhat intact. Issei noticed some cracks on the side, indicating that it had been caught in the blast of whoever did this. He ran his fingers over the names.

"Hey Rossweisse… Come here. I want to show you something," Issei said.

"What is it?" Rossweisse asked, noticing that Issei's mood had lifted. She looked down and saw a rock with names engraved into it.

"This rock. Irina and I carved our names into it when we were kids. When Rias and I started to date, I took her here and we carved our names into the rock. I did the same with Akeno," Issei said.

"And now… you want me to do it?" Rossweisse asked.

"Yeah," Issei said. "But I don't have anything to carve into it with. Ascalon's too big for something like this…"

"I can just use magic," Rossweisse said as she formed a small blade on her finger. She knelt next to Issei and began carving something into the rock. She didn't want anything overly grand or complex like the message Akeno carved in. She wanted something simple but meaningful enough to convey the love she felt for the man next to her.

"And done!" Rossweisse said.

Issei blinked and smiled. "Kinda simple don't you think?" Issei asked.

"Sometimes, simple is all you need," Rossweisse said.

"Let's go home," Issei said. As he got up, he felt Rossweisse tap him on the shoulder. He turned and his eyes widened in surprise. Rossweisse pressed her lips softly up against Issei's. He leaned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist.

After nearly a minute of constant lip-lock, the two pulled apart and pressed their foreheads against each other. They smiled before pulling apart and walking back to the house, hands intertwined.

The wind blew, sending a nice breeze through the ruined field. The rock which previously had three engravings on it now had four.

_I+R_

* * *

Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina walked into Sirzechs' office where he was met with the sight of Gremory Peerage. Rias glanced at Issei and waved. She smiled when Issei waved back. Issei stood next to her as the group faced Sirzechs.

"Where's your Azazel Cup Team?" Sirzechs asked.

"They're… pre-occupied at the moment," Issei said.

Pre-occupied was the most accurate term to describe what everyone was doing. Vasco and Risa were on a short bodyguard mission for the Archangel Uriel while he visited the Middle East to go spend time in the city of Jerusalem. Rikka, Mica, Tohka, and Ingvild were all pulled by their respective branches for an assignment. Issei, Mitsuki, and Irina would have been sent as well if not for Taki's exact words.

_Taki looked at Issei as he stood in front of his desk._

"_Why aren't we being sent on a mission with Rikka-senpai?" Issei asked._

"_Because you've been assigned one already," Taki said, placing a cigarette into his mouth and lighting it._

"_I don't remember getting an assignment," Issei said._

"_You did. From the Prime Demon Mammon. And now I'll make it official. We have reason to believe that there are other Prime Demons that survived other than Mammon and Belphegor. Mammon's statement just confirmed our suspicions about the Philippines," Taki said._

"_So you're saying that there's a Prime Demon there?" Issei asked. Taki nodded. "Only speculation. Any attempts we have at observing the country is met with heavy amounts of both technological and magical interference. Like something's hiding there. At first, we attributed this to the Elder God Bathala due to his want to remain out of the limelight so to speak but… as of recently, with the Original Demons running around. It's been getting harder to observe and we've detected small trace amounts of Miasma."_

"_So, you want us to go and see if there is a Prime Demon there or if it's just a Demon," Issei said._

"_Yes. This is your first assignment," Taki said._

_Issei nodded._

"Right…," Sirzechs said. He turned to the others. "Rias. Your club was specifically requested for this by Mammon-sensei. You are to head to the Philippines and find the Goddess of the Moon, Mayari."

"Mayari?" Rias asked.

"Yes," Grayfia said. "Mayari is one of the three daughters of the God Bathala and the youngest of the three. She is… for a lack of better words, extremely powerful."

The group nodded.

"We felt that since Mayari was your target that you would need some backup for this mission so we asked another well-known Moon Deity to assist in this," Sirzechs said.

There was a knock on the door, causing Sirzechs and Grayfia to smile.

"That must be them. Please come in!" Sirzechs said.

The door opened to reveal a beautiful woman walking in. Her eyes were silver, resembling the Moon itself on a bright night. Her hair was a beautiful shade of auburn and was styled in a braided ponytail. She wore a white high collar sleeveless shirt that was open at the top, revealing a black undershirt. She wore black biker shorts and had a pair of thigh-high salmon-colored socks with brown boots.

"So this is the team?" the woman asked, crossing her arms. She looked at the team with some measure of interest. The men in the group shivered when her eyes lingered on them for a bit too long. They could feel the disgust she had for them if the brief bursts of killing intent weren't any indicator for this.

"Please don't kill them out on the field, Artemis-sama," Grayfia asked in a respectful manner.

The woman known as Artemis sighed. "I promise. Besides, this is more of an escort mission anyway," Artemis said.

"Right, so you all know what you have to do. Find Mayari-sama and get the information on the whereabouts of our person of interest," Sirzechs said.

Rias raised her hand.

"Yes?" Sirzechs asked.

"If I may ask, who is our person of interest?" she said.

Sirzechs and Grayfia looked at each other. A silent conversation happened between them as they stared into each other's eyes. Sirzechs sighed and turned back to Rias.

"Look this was hard for us to digest as well but…," Sirzechs trailed off. He recomposed himself and folded his hands. "Sensei said that the person you are looking for is one of the Seven Prime Demons. The Lord of Lust, Asmodeus."

"What? But, isn't she dead?" Rias asked.

"Yes, Asmodeus-sama was believed to have committed suicide shortly after the end of the Great War," Grayfia stated. "But if Mammon-sama's words are to be believed, then she's not as dead as we expected her to be."

"Any more questions?" Sirzechs asked.

Nobody said anything as Sirzechs smiled.

"Good. You can depart for your mission," Sirzechs said.

The group nodded before Artemis formed a massive magic circle with old Grecian symbols and the group disappeared in a flash of silver light.

Outside of the Ars Nova, a woman with white hair sat on the roof as her yellow eyes gazed upon the window of Sirzechs' office. She brought an apple up to her mouth and bit into it. A sudden presence caused her eyes to turn around. She lazily gazed at the newcomer.

"So, you are alive."

"Surprised?" she asked. Mammon looked down at the woman and crossed her arms.

"Kind of. You dropped off the map for several centuries and all of a sudden, your power was felt by all the Old Devils," Mammon said.

"So the other Progenitors know I'm alive?" she asked.

"No. It was too brief for them to identify the source of the surge but… Belphegor had an inkling and shared it with me," Mammon said.

"I see," the woman said.

"Are you with him?" Mammon asked. "Are you helping him kidnap those children?"

"If I said yes, what would you do, my dear little sister?" the woman asked. Mammon felt a bead of sweat run down her face.

"Nothing. There's no way I could ever pose a threat to you. Not then. Not now," Mammon said.

"To answer your question, I'm not actively helping him. I'm more watching from the sidelines until his plan is complete," she said.

"So why are you here then?" Mammon asked.

"Him. Issei Hyoudou," she said.

Mammon's eyes widened.

"It's been so long. He's grown up and I missed it. And he even has the Shevirat Ha-Kelim just like me and Mother," she said happily.

Mammon remained silent as the woman stood and walked past her. She stopped just behind Mammon when she called out.

"Are you going to take him, Onee-sama?" Mammon asked.

The woman placed a finger on her chin as she thought over Mammon's question.

"No. Not yet at least. For now, I'll watch. He's looking for Asmodeus-chan right?" she said.

Mammon's breathing hitched as she turned to face the toxic yellow eyes of her older sister.

"You stay away from her! Whatever Beelzebub is planning, Asmodeus has suffered enough! Don't drag her into this!" Mammon snarled.

"Oh. I won't do anything to Asmodeus-chan. She's my little sister after all. And besides, it's not like Beelzebub isn't already there with them," she said.

Mammon's eyes widened. Her memory of seeing Akeno's eyes during the Gremory Match against Riser Phenex came back to her.

"That girl," Mammon said.

She smiled. "Well, this has been fun. I'll see you later, Mammon-chan," the woman said as she turned around.

The woman disappeared before Mammon's eyes as the Prime Demon fell to her hands and knees, releasing a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Ronin Nexus: **** I don't know what kind of weed you're smoking to come up with these but can I ask who you buy it from. Astra means "weapon". My Indian friend told me so. And don't say that's a lie because you know nothing about my personal life. And Agni is a God. Not just a normal run-of-the-mill God. He's a Major God. He's Indra's brother for crying out loud. So, please... send that address.**

**Disclaimer: Don't actually do it. I'm doing this to highlight how absurdly wrong your information about how Agni being a demigod is. **

**Scrumblenut: Interesting assumption... fufufu.**

**DoctorMario 911: Yes. It was based on the fight except Kali isn't a super buff gray alien who can level the Universe in this fic.**

**AnimeFan0216: Rikka is a Hindu Demigod like Karna but... she hates the entire pantheon for the reasons Kali speculated. I'll reveal more about Mara and Agni in the second season so for now, you and the others will have to sit with that little tidbit. And ah yes, I forgot to answer this but... the next chapter, you might get an answer as to who won the best daughter fight courtesy of an omake featuring the daughters themselves.**

* * *

**So this chapter is shorter because it kind of fought with me so I fought back. At first, I wanted Issei and Rossweisse to go to an amusement park but decided that an aquarium was better cuz... why not? I love aquariums. The scene at the park was my sister's idea and I liked it so... sis, if you see this, thank you. Anyway, for those who wondered by Rossweisse just went with I+R, I went for the "simplicity can be powerful" angle, and since hers is simple compared to... Akeno who wrote an entire poem basically, it set her apart from the rest. Well, that's all I have to say about this chapter other. Well, hope you remember to make it a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!**

**Oh right here. If any of y'all are interested in discussing Mao Zedong's Noble Phantasm. I bet it involves sparrows.** **discord. gg /V54pcwA**


	26. The Lord of Lust

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Tayabas, Philippines, March 2, 2020, 11:30 AM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 16 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"It's rather lively here," Irina said as she hovered over some bananas. Issei stood next to her as the two looked and analyzed the bananas, contemplating if they should buy some and bring it back to Kuoh.

"You want bananas? 20 Pesos!" the vendor said, growing annoyed. He had been there for twenty minutes while the two stared at his produce.

"Excuse me po? Pero, hinog na ba ang mga saging ito?" Irina asked. Issei blinked and looked at her. The vendor looked surprised that Irina was able to speak Tagalog and nodded in mild amazement. He was impressed. Many foreigners came to his city to go to the mountain but none of them spoke a lick of the native language which made communication hard and ripping them off easy.

"I don't have any money," Irina muttered.

"You two! Come on!"

Issei and Irina perked their heads up and turned to Artemis, who stood with the rest of the group with her arms crossed. Irina sighed and began to walk away. Issei stood there staring at the bananas. He reached into his pocket and pulled his wallet out. All yen. He sighed and followed Irina back to the group.

"Now's not the time for you two to go grocery shopping. Come on. I managed to get us a ride out of the city," Artemis said. Issei and Irina gave each other a glance before noticing the pale faces of the men in the group.

"What did she do?" Issei asked.

"I never even knew you could do that with an eggplant," Eren said.

"Issei, she did nothing. She… just asked nicely," Kiba said, flinching at the memory.

"Okay?" Issei said. The girls shrugged as they walked away. The group followed Artemis and saw a bus with no people inside. The driver looked at the group and blanched when he saw Artemis.

She glared at the driver and handed him a hefty sum of cash before motioning for all of them to pile into the back.

The group got into the back of the bus and sat as the driver turned it around.

"Huh… this is convenient," Rias said as she watched the other busses pass by with people unloading and people hopping on.

"They're called Jeepneys," Irina said.

"Irina and I had to take one around Manila when the church was called because a rogue exorcist was working with a stray devil that made its way here," Xenovia said.

"It's nice. At least I didn't spend all the money on that trip," Irina said.

"Like when we were in Kuoh and you spent it all so Issei had to let us stay over?" Xenovia asked.

Irina pouted and buried her head in Issei's shoulder. Issei sweatdropped as she hugged his arm tightly. He felt a multitude of stares on them, Koneko and Rossweisse being the most prominent. Rossweisse grumbled about the unfairness of it all while Koneko looked at Irina with a hint of jealousy in her eyes. A glint that Issei noticed on the other girls as well. Unlike Rossweisse which was more competitive and playful jealousy, the others were a more seething, festering jealousy. The only one who didn't seem to have it in spades was Rias, whose visage was a mixture of slight regret, sadness, jealousy, and happiness.

"Anyway," Mitsuki said. "How long until we get there?"

"Where are we going, Artemis-sama?" Rias asked.

"We're going to Mount Banahaw and San Cristobal. The most sacred mountains in the Philippines. They're referred to as the Yin-Yang Mountains and it is the current home of Mayari, the Goddess of Moon and Combat as well as Apolaki, God of the Sun and Warfare. The peaks are also the entryway to Kaluwahaitan, the Divine Realm of the Philippine Pantheon," Artemis said.

"So which peak are we headed to?" Issei asked.

"We are headed to Mount San Cristobal. Locals here call it the Devil's Mountain," she answered. "Strap in I guess. We're in for a long ride. The trip there takes about two hours via car."

"Why can't we teleport?" Akeno asked.

"There's a powerful presence there that prevents any and all teleportation to and from the mountain by any being that's not associated with the Pantheon native to this country," Artemis said.

"Powerful presence?" Kiba asked.

"Bathala. The Elder God of the Philippines and God of Eternity and Creation… I presume," Artemis said, placing her hand on her chin and looking out the window.

"Are you sure we won't piss him off by being there?" Irina asked, lifting her head from Issei's shoulder. "Christianity wasn't exactly good for this country in the beginning despite the majority of the population being Christian."

"You'll be fine," Artemis said. "At least… I think you will. Bathala's more or less retired. He handed over rule over the Pantheon to Mayari and Apolaki a long time ago. It resulted in a massive fight that ended with the two compromising after Mayari lost an eye to her brother."

"Ouch… sounds like one of Issei and Mitsuki's fights," Irina commented.

"We're not that…"

"Bad!"

Issei and Mitsuki both shouted at the same time.

"Hmm," Artemis hummed.

"So how sure are we that Mayari knows where Asmodeus is?" Akeno asked.

"We don't," Artemis answered. "Lady Mammon's description was more or less vague. Yellow eyes aren't exactly unique within the supernatural world. There are many beings with yellow eyes."

"But? I'm sensing a but here," Rossweisse said.

"Mayari may be able to help us track her down. A demonic power within her country won't be able to escape her notice much less her father's," Artemis answered.

"Okay. But… my question is will she help us? Like Irina said, our Pantheon's influence on this country wasn't exactly peaches and mangoes following Spanish Colonization," Rias said.

"She will. She owes me for the last Lunar Convention," Artemis said.

The group drove down the roads of the Philippines, passing other cars. The driving here was vastly different from what they were used to. People sitting on the backs of pickups or atop Jeepneys was a sight to behold for Issei, who had never seen such a sight before. He honestly wanted to try it out and looked for an opening to climb onto the roof of the vehicle.

Unfortunately, both Irina and Rossweisse had spotted the look on Issei's face and glared him into submission. An hour had passed since they began their lovely trip to Mount San Cristobal and most of them had fallen asleep. Artemis was sharpening her silver knife in the plain view of Issei and Kiba. Eren, Tatsuya, Yuu, and Hiruko had fallen asleep. Irina was drooling on Issei's shoulder while Mitsuki fell on his lap. Rias and Akeno were using each other as support while Koneko hugged Xenovia. Xenovia's head lay on Rossweisse's shoulder who seemed to be fighting sleep.

"Thanks for coming with us, Artemis-sama," Issei said.

"Don't thank me. Any words out of your filthy male mouth are just lies told to seduce women," Artemis said.

"No really. I mean it. I know that you hate men and all that but… I want to thank you for coming with us. Without you, we might all get annihilated," Issei said, flashing her a smile.

Artemis looked at Issei for a few seconds before nodding. Issei's grin grew wider before he looked back out the window. Artemis looked down at her knife for a few seconds, attempting to figure out what that bizarre feeling she felt was when Issei smiled at her.

_It's probably nothing_, Artemis thought as she continued running the whetstone along the side of her prized weapon.

* * *

After another hour had passed, Artemis tapped on the wall of the bus, causing the driver to come to a stop. They were in the middle of the road with trees surrounding them. The sounds of animals running around from inside the forest could be heard. Issei noticed that the vehicle had stopped moving and saw Artemis thanking the driver. She placed her hand in her mouth and whistled as loud as a New Yorker when hailing a cab. Everyone jumped, including those who were still awake.

"Wake up. We're here," Artemis said as she pushed past them and got out of the car.

"We are?" Rias said groggily. She looked out the window and noticed nothing but forest.

"Um, Artemis-sama," Akeno said. "I don't mean to offend you but… we're in the middle of nowhere."

"No, we're here. I can feel her power washing over the area. She's blending it in with the natural energy of the island," Artemis said. "Neko girl. Use your senjutsu. You can feel it right?"

Koneko closed her eyes and began using senjutsu. She immediately regretted following Artemis's suggestion and ran out of the jeepney. She got on her hands and knees and promptly vomited all over the pavement.

"Koneko!" Everyone got out of the van and moved towards her. Asia knelt next to her and cast a diagnostic spell over her.

"She's fine but… why did she vomit?" Asia asked.

"Her power… it's massive. Like staring at the Moon and feeling its gravity trying to pull you apart," Koneko said as she wiped her mouth.

"Come on. Let's get a move on," Artemis said as she hopped over the railing and began to make her way into the forest.

In front of them, a viridian peak obscured by some clouds loomed in the distance. Artemis expertly maneuvered through the thick brush while the others struggled behind her.

"I should've brought Zin. She would've blasted these insects and the entire forest into ashes," Issei said as he slapped a mosquito.

**[Hmm, filthy insects. Do they think themselves worthy of drinking a dragon's blood?]** Ddraig said.

**|I mean… we got bit a lot back in Mesopotamia|** Tiamat said.

"I know what you mean," Xenovia said. "I have half a mind to summon Durandal and just cut down every tree in sight just so we can get to our destination faster."

"Why aren't we flying?" Irina asked.

"You can't fly because they might perceive you as a threat. If I'm not there, I am one hundred percent certain that either Tala or Apolaki will smite you," Artemis said as she moved a large leaf out of the way.

"Are we at least almost there?" Tatsuya asked. "These bugs are getting on my nerve."

"Yes, Mayari said she'd meet us in the woods so she can bring us to the mountain," Artemis said.

"Stupid no teleportation," Yuu said.

"We just have to bear with it," Eren said.

"Yeah, lucky you," Tatsuya said. "Your Sacred Gear lets you control plants so none of this is affecting you."

"Knock it off you two," Rias said. "It's hot and we really don't need this right now."

The group broke through the edge of the treeline and came across a small clearing in the woods where a small stream flowed through. Artemis sighed and turned to see her charges tired and sweaty. She didn't blame them. Despite being constantly on the move with her nymphs and hunters, she had to admit. Tropical locale was never her favorite to be in.

"Alright. We'll rest up here for a couple of minutes and then we'll continue on our way towards the mountain. That is if Mayari doesn't show up," Artemis said. She sat down on a rock and closed her eyes while the others collapsed on the grass.

"God… please forgive me for any sin I might have committed," Irina said as she stared at the sky.

"Hmm, rather offensive praying to another god when there's one right in front of you," Artemis said, cracking open one eye.

Irina gulped as the Moon Goddess looked down at her.

"I'm kidding. You're fine. Go pray to your dead God," she said.

"...," Irina looked at her blankly and looked back at the sky.

"UGGGHH! WHERE IS THIS GODDESS!? IS SHE EVEN HERE!?" Mitsuki asked.

"She can be if you pray hard enough."

A foreign voice caused them all to turn around and look behind Mitsuki. A woman dressed in a white shirt with a beige vest over it stood behind her. She wore baggy camouflage pants. On her feet were a pair of brown hunting boots. A bow and a wooden staff were strapped to her back and a quiver found its home on her left hip. Her yellow eyes stared at them as Mitsuki took a step back.

"Some party you got here Arty. I didn't know you were beginning to accept males into your little entourage. Does that mean you're no longer a feminazi?" she asked as she brushed her midnight black hair aside.

"Mayari. I see your sense of humor hasn't gotten better in the past 50 years," Artemis said, crossing her arms.

"Riiiight," Mayari said.

"Wait… I thought she lost an eye," Issei said, whispering to Rias.

"Me too," Rias said.

"I did," the Filipino Moon Goddess said. The two jumped and looked down at the ground.

"But with the miracles of magic and technology, I managed to snag a replacement eye. Even has my original eye color too!" Mayari said, tapping her right eye much to the discomfort of her guests.

"Stop that. You're making them and me uncomfortable," Artemis said.

"Anyway, it's kinda hot out. Why don't we head back to my house and we can talk there?" Mayari said. Her question was met with a chorus of agreement from the entire group, causing her to chuckle a little. Mayari formed a large silver magic circle underneath them and teleported them to her house.

Mayari's house wasn't overly grand as Issei expected a Goddess's home to be. It was a rather simple house. The exterior was painted white and the house was three stories tall. A small gate stood in front of them as Mayari opened it and walked inside. They followed her through the gate and through her front door.

The inside was homey and quaint as one would expect of a house in the mountains. They looked out the window and noticed that they were at the peak overlooking the woods and the various farms that surrounded the mountain. They saw a town in the distance.

"So," Mayari said as she took a seat on her couch. She placed her bow and staff on the table as she gestured for them to make themselves comfortable.

They complied and all took a seat.

"What brings the Great Biblical Pantheon and Artemis to my neck of the woods?" Mayari said as she summoned a bottle of Fanta to her hand.

"Actually before we answer that, if it's not too rude of us to ask, may we have something to drink?" Rias asked.

"Of course. Where are my manners?" Mayari said, laughing a little. She teleported her weapons to the side and summoned two buckets from a place called Jollibee and a large tray of drinks filled with juice.

"Thanks," Rias said.

They all grabbed some food, poured themselves a drink, and took a bite while Mayari waited for an answer. Eventually, Rias spoke up once more.

"We're here on a mission from our Pantheon actually. We were wondering if you could help us find someone," Rias said.

"Hmm, that depends. Who is this someone that the Biblical Faction is so interested in finding," Mayari asked as she took another sip of her drink.

"Asmodeus," Issei said. "We were tasked by the Prime Demon Mammon to find Asmodeus."

Mayari raised an eyebrow, pausing a little. She closed her eyes and placed her drink on the table.

"Hmmm, kind of a wild goose chase don't you think? If I recall, Asmodeus committed suicide shortly after the end of the Great War," Mayari said.

"She did… according to the records but Mammon-sama told us that she was here," Rias said.

"Did she explicitly state that?" Mayari asked.

"Well, no…," Rias said.

"Wait," Issei said.

"Hmmm?" Mayari turned to him.

"Mammon-sama told me to say something once we found Asmodeus. Something like 'The Seventh stirs and walks like a lion'," Issei said.

Mayari's eyes widened slightly. "I see…," she said.

_Man, she is not going to be happy_, Mayari thought.

"Well then, I believe that I can help you with this but… by doing so, I will be more or less taking you to someone who went as far as to fake a suicide just to live in peace," Mayari said.

"Wait," Artemis looked at her in shock. "You mean that Asmodeus is actually still alive?"

Mayari nodded. "She is. The Lord of Lust resides here within the Philippines in the most unlikely area too."

"Unlikely?" Rias asked.

Mayari placed her bottle down. "Asmodeus… resides within Kaluwahatian, the Divine Realm of the Philippine Pantheon."

"Wait… what?" Everyone looked at Mayari in shock.

"She lives in the realm of the Philippine Gods?" Issei asked.

"Well, hiding out is a more accurate term," Mayari said.

"Can you take us to her?" Mitsuki asked.

"I would but… I don't think she'd take kindly to the fact that she's being dragged back into a life she wants nothing to do with anymore. She's happy there," Mayari said.

"But this is important! Please! Hear us out!" Irina said.

"It always is," Mayari muttered. "Very well… I'll let her decide. It's only fair."

"Really! You'll take us to her?" Rias asked.

"On one condition," Mayari said.

"What's this condition?" Artemis narrowed her eyes at Mayari's words.

Mayari grinned and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small notepad and pen and handed it to Issei.

"Can I have your autograph? I'm a big fan of your show. I know it's for kids but… hey, it's funny!" Mayari said.

"Eh? Really? That's all I have to do?" Issei asked.

"Of course! I'll take you there after he signs it," Mayari answered.

Issei nodded and took the pen. He signed his name across the paper and handed it back to Mayari. Mayari smiled and pocketed the paper, muttering to herself about how she got the Oppai Dragon to sign her paper.

"So? Are you going to take us there?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah, yeah don't get your chastity belt in a twist Goddess of Virgins," Mayari said as she got up.

"C- Chastity belt? How rude!" Artemis yelled.

"Yeah, yeah," Mayari created a large silver magic circle. She raised her hand into the sky and a rip opened in the ceiling. White light emanated from the rift. She grinned as she slowly floated and flew through the rift. Artemis grumbled as she jumped through the rift above her.

The others shrugged and followed suit, spreading their wings and flying through Mayari's rift.

What greeted them on the other side was a beautiful expanse of sky. The sky extended in every direction, seeming to go past infinity itself. Bluer than the Earth's sky on even the clearest of days, Issei could make out various stars as well as a large Moon. He felt someone tap his shoulder and saw Mitsuki pointing ahead of them. Issei's jaw dropped.

Before them, were a set of massive islands floating in the air. Issei walked over to the edge of the island and glanced over, thinking that he could see the Earth below them. He was disappointed when it wasn't the case. Just a deep blue void that seemed to have no end. He looked to the island across from them. It was larger than the one they were currently on. Large towers could be seen, towering over the entire island. A massive central tower stood over the others, asserting its dominance as a large beacon of light shot into the sky.

"Hmm. Let's go," Mayari said, walking past Issei. She held her arm out and a massive translucent bridge appeared in front of them. She began walking across when Rias called out.

"Wait! What if we fall off?" she asked, noting that the bridge had no guardrails on it.

"Huh?" Mayari turned around.

"Just ignore her. Let's get this over with. I was in the middle of a hunt when I got called here to help them," Artemis said, walking past Mayari.

"But!"

"You have wings!"

Rias blinked and nodded as she followed Artemis and Mayari. The others followed suit. As they walked across the bridge, Issei noticed as he looked over that there was something at the bottom. A massive swirl of dark clouds with violet lightning crackling within them. He felt drawn to the vortex and was about to walk over the edge when Mayari grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't. That down there is our version of Hell. It's where Apolaki and I sealed the Evil Elder God, Sitan, the God of Darkness and Chaos," Mayari said.

"Wait, you and your brother defeated an Elder God?" Artemis asked.

"We got lucky. He was attempting to free Bakunawa from his seal so we got him while he was distracted," Mayari said as they neared the island.

"I see," Artemis said. As they stepped foot on the island, the bridge behind them vanished. Upon closer inspection, the island was much more beautiful than the one they were on. Streams with what seemed to be the purest water in existence flowed and cascaded over the island's edge. Large palm trees dotted the island as birds and animals frolicked in the untamed natural wilderness.

A large city sat in front of them with massive walls that were made of wood. However, the others could feel the power emanating from the wood. This wood was made to endure and survive. To the edge of oblivion and back and if Mayari's account was true, then that wooden wall did its job. The group walked past the gate with Mayari being welcomed and praised by the people of the city.

"Ate Mayari!"

"Mayari!"

"Lady Mayari!"

Mayari simply smiled politely and waved back as she walked by.

"Quite the fan club she has," Tatsuya said as he watched a child run up to the Philippine Moon Goddess and give her a flower.

"Of course," Rias said. "She and her brother are the current rulers of this pantheon. Twin Chief Deities who were chosen by their father above all his other children to rule their Gods."

"Still popular I see," Artemis smiled as the child waved at her.

"Well, among the anitos, my sisters are more popular," Mayari said. Issei and the others marveled as they passed by the towers. Spirits and Gods passed them as the group weaved their way down the winding road and marketplaces.

"So where is Asmodeus living exactly?" Artemis asked.

"Asmodeus lives at the central tower where Father sleeps," Mayari said.

"You trust a Demon… a Prime Demon to stay there with your father while he's in his slumber?" Artemis asked.

"I mean… yeah. Why not?" Mayari asked.

They arrived at the central tower where there were stained glass portraits that decorated the base of the tower each portraying a Deity. They quickly identified Mayari's stained glass image as the Goddess's black hair and yellow eyes were easily identifiable. In the stained glass, she wore blue robes that parted at her chest, revealing the underside of her breasts and her stomach. The robes came back together at her waist. In the portrait, Mayari was seen sitting on a crescent moon.

"Come on," Mayari said as she opened the door.

She walked over to an elevator and pressed it.

"She's on the top floor," Mayari said, ushering them into the elevator. As they ascended, Mayari turned around.

"When we get there, show your utmost respect and reverence for the place. My father is slumbering inside the building. He woke up a few hundred years ago but went back to sleep right shortly after. Asmodeus has been here watching over him ever since," Mayari said. "Another thing. If she doesn't want to go, then that's the end of it. Don't force her into something she doesn't want to do or go back to."

The Gremory Group, Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki all nodded rapidly as Mayari's eyes began to glow ominously. A ding was heard as the elevator car came to a stop. The door opened revealing a massive crystal at the room's center. A man wrapped in green flowing robes slumbered inside. He had tan skin and dark hair. The man bore a striking resemblance to Mayari in the shape of their face but that was as far as family resemblances went between the two.

Artemis kneeled before the crystal and bowed her head in respect.

Rias and the others followed suit.

"Wait here while I go find her," Mayari said. The others looked up from their homage and nodded.

**[Even while asleep, Bathala can still radiate so much power. It's amazing. The Elder Gods are true monsters in this world when it comes to power.]** Ddraig said.

**|I get what you mean. There are only a few people I can compare his power to and they're all in the higher end of the Top Ten|** Tiamat said.

"_No kidding… Kali has nothing on this guy,"_ Issei said.

"Do you think the legends are true?" Issei heard Rias ask. He turned to see Rias and Artemis standing and looking at the crystal.

"What legends?" Issei asked.

"That Bathala was born ab aeterno, meaning that he had no creator. He simply came from the bowels of eternity, always existing," Rias said.

"No, because I met Chaos once. All the Elder Gods came around at relatively the same time and that old geezer has always gone on about some higher power creating the Gods," Artemis said.

"We're back."

The group turned to see Mayari being accompanied by a woman. The woman was beautiful beyond measure. If Issei wasn't afraid of being castrated by the Greco-Roman Lunar Deity and his girlfriends, he would have voiced his opinion out right now. The woman in front of them had silk black hair that was as dark as the night sky. Her face was perfect with no blemishes save for the faded scar on her cheek. But even that faded wound made her stand out. She had poisonous yellow eyes that reminded Issei of Mammon and for some reason, Lili. She wore black robes that failed to hide the figure she had. If Issei were a betting man, he would guess her measurements to be 100-60-92.

"Ahem," Mayari said, crossing her arms and glaring at Issei.

Issei blinked and saw Irina and Rossweisse shaking their heads. Kiba and Mitsuki were putting their hands over their mouths, hiding their laughter while Asia pinched the bridge of her nose. Eren rubbed her back sympathetically. However, like Issei, the other boys save for Yuu were entranced by the woman's looks.

"S- Sorry!" Issei said, bowing before the woman.

"No need," the woman said. "I'm told that I have that effect on people."

"Mom!" Mayari scolded.

"What?" she said.

"Nevermind, just… introduce yourself," Mayari said.

"Right. So, Maya here has said that you were sent here by my dear little sister, Mammon is that right?" the woman asked.

"Y- You're…!" Rias stuttered as she finally recognized the woman. The woman smiled and six pairs of bat-like wings burst from her back.

"That's right. I am one of the Seven Prime Demons and the Lord of Lust, Asmodeus," she greeted. "I never thought I'd be entertaining the Red Dragon Emperor and his friends here. Welcome to my house."

Rias immediately got on her hands and knees and prostrated herself before Asmodeus.

"A- Asmodeus-sama! It's such an honor to meet you! Everyone in Hell believes that you're dead because you committed suicide and and and and!" Rias babbled. Akeno sighed and placed her hand on her forehead.

"Umm… please lift your head," Asmodeus said gently. Rias slowly looked up and saw the Prime Demoness looking at her strangely.

"Please don't bow to me. I was never used to it like my siblings ehehe," Asmodeus said, scratching her cheek.

"Of course!" Rias said, standing up.

"Now, Heiress of Gremory. If that little charade is out of the way, tell her why you're here," Artemis said.

"R- Right! Um, Issei, that's all you," Rias said.

"Eh!?" Issei looked at her incredulously.

"Mammon-sama was the one who requested to you personally! It's only right that you do it!" Rias argued.

"Fiiiine!" Issei said. He turned to Asmodeus, who looked at them strangely.

"Asmodeus-sama. Upon the request of the Prime Demon and Lord of Greed, Mammon, please return with us to Hell!" Issei said, bowing. "Please!" he added.

"Hmmm, did Mammon tell you why?" Asmodeus asked. "Because frankly, my answer right now is a hard no. I don't want to return to Hell. Never will. I left that life behind after the Great War."

"You abandoned your people in their time of need!" Rias argued.

"Perhaps. But what's the point of ruling over a race with an extremely backward point of view. My son demonstrated that. I was there in Hell shortly after I 'died'. I saw how he faked those tears. He didn't give two shits that I died," Asmodeus said.

"We're not like that anymore!" Rias said.

"I heard. But I digress. Red Dragon. What did my sister need so badly that she had to send a messenger instead of coming here herself?" Asmodeus asked, crossing her arms.

"She wasn't very clear on that but… she told me to deliver a message," Issei said.

"What was the message?" Asmodeus asked.

"She said that 'The Seventh stirs and walks like a lion, ready to consume all' or something," Irina said.

Asmodeus's eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure that that is what she said?"

"Something along those lines yeah," Issei said.

"I don't want an answer like that! Give me a clear answer!" Asmodeus said.

"Yes," Irina said with certainty in her voice.

"Hmmm, I see," Asmodeus said.

"Do you know what she means by that perchance?" Mayari asked.

"She's referring to the youngest of the Primes," Asmodeus said. "My brother, Beelzebub, the Lord of Hunger… but that should be impossible. Beelzebub died during the Great War. We went to look for him after he challenged Uncle Raphael to a fight but found nothing."

"Red Dragon… by any chance, did Mammon happen to say anything else other than that?" Asmodeus asked.

"My name is Issei and she said nothing else. Just that you'll get the meaning," Issei said. "Which you obviously do…"

"Mammon… you were always one crafty bitch," Asmodeus mumbled. "Fine. I'll go with you but only for the sole reason of figuring out why she would mention… Beelzebub."

Her gaze narrowed as her eyes lingered on the group.

"What's wrong?" Issei asked.

"It seems that you've allowed a fly to enter your house…," Asmodeus said.

"Eh?" Issei looked at her confused. He watched in confusion as Asmodeus walked over to Akeno and looked her in the eyes.

"I see… so that's why Mammon sent you here," she muttered. Without warning, Asmodeus raised her hand and everyone was rooted to their spots, save for Mayari. Asmodeus slammed her palm into Akeno's chest. Akeno gasped as her eyes flickered. She gritted her teeth and slammed her fist into Asmodeus's torso, sending her skidding back.

"Akeno!" Rias cried as she struggled against Asmodeus's grip.

"What the hell!?" Issei roared as he glared at the Prime Demon.

"Can it!" Asmodeus snapped. "That's not your friend… not now at least, isn't that right Little Brother?"

Everyone looked confused but turned when distorted laughter came from Akeno's mouth.

"Hehehe… Ahaha! I never thought that you would notice me oh dear Sister of mine," "Akeno" said in a manner that made everyone's skin crawl.

"Your lousy attempts at possessing the girl and hiding inside her soul might have worked on the others but… not on us. Mammon noticed you apparently if she sent your vessel here to me," Asmodeus said. She raised her hand and closed her fist.

"Akeno" began clutching her throat as she began to vomit black smoke.

"Pity… you didn't even take any precautions," Asmodeus said.

"B- Bitch!" "Akeno" raised her hand and fired a blast of black lightning. Asmodeus's eyes widened as she formed a barrier in front of her that nullified the lightning.

"Akeno's" eyes were now a toxic shade of yellow, similar to that of Asmodeus as twelve shadowy wings erupted from her back.

"I'd like it if you leave that girl's body," Asmodeus said.

"Why? Have you gotten soft over the years sister? Has marriage to a God made you that complacent?" "Akeno" asked.

"That wasn't a request," Asmodeus said.

"Oh? Well then!" "Akeno" dashed towards Asmodeus, black lightning covering her hands, poised to rip into Asmodeus.

"_Monyé valack forsa, ulu iri regatt ruac, fieesh nieesh forthsa lé inmist infirum forthsa por un betest a té un fornalles ecclaisee_," Asmodeus chanted as she held her hand out. An invisible force slammed into "Akeno" causing her to spit out blood. "Akeno" fell to the floor and slid a few feet. She lay there spasming as her eyes rapidly changed colors from violet to yellow.

"C- Curse you!" "Akeno" roared as her head flew back. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as a torrent of black smoke exploded from her mouth. The smoke swirled around inside the room after it left Akeno and coalesced into a shadowy form with yellow eyes.

"Asmodeus you traitor!" the shadow said.

"Beelzebub… that's a rather mean thing to say," Asmodeus said as she formed several spears made of darkness behind her.

"Tch!" Beelzebub's shadowy hands were held out as Asmodeus threw the spears. The spears were instantly absorbed into Beelzebub. His eyes widened as Asmodeus darted at him. As her hand was about to make contact, Beelzebub dissipated in a puff of smoke. Asmodeus's hand slammed into the floor, sending spider web cracks and shaking the entire room. She growled as she turned around to see a cloud of smoke with yellow eyes staring at her.

Beelzebub cackled loudly as it formed a small sphere of shadows and launched it at the crystal that housed Bathala. Asmodeus's eyes widened as she ran at the crystal at full speeds while Beelzebub took this opportunity to escape through the vents. The sphere hit Asmodeus head-on as the Lord of Lust erected a barrier around herself and contained the explosion. Mayari summoned her bow and fired an arrow at the vent, halting Beelzebub's escape.

The demon lord growled before unleashing a telekinetic wave that knocked everyone over. Free from Asmodeus's grip, Issei fired a Dragon Shot at Beelzebub. Beelzebub absorbed the blast into his wispy form and laughed.

"He can absorb any form of energy into himself," Asmodeus said. She limped out of the smoke, bleeding as she clutched her arm.

"Then I guess we'll just have to punch him into submission," Issei said.

"Oh… my dear sweet Issei. As if I'd let you hit me that easily," Beezelbub said.

Issei disappeared in a burst of speed and appeared in front of Beelzebub. Beelzebub's shadowy form grinned as it split apart into separate funnels of smoke. Issei's punch missed and the shockwave shattered the windows in the room. The smoke came back together and slammed into Issei, sending him into the wall.

"Aniki!"

"Issei!"

Kiba and Gasper dashed towards the wispy being as he hovered over Issei and attempted to attack. Beelzebub spared them no glance as the attacks phased right through him. Beelzebub flew away and reappeared at the edge of the window.

"I'm afraid that our time has been cut short. This is where I bid you all… adieu!" Beelzebub said as he flew off at rapid speeds.

"Can he escape?" Rias asked.

"N- Now he can," Asmodeus said as she fell to her knee. "Damn… that attack really did a number on me."

"You were the one maintaining the barrier weren't you?" Artemis deduced as she knocked an arrow into her bow. She aimed at Beelzebub's escaping form and let loose a silver arrow. Artemis hummed in satisfaction as the arrow hit home and Beelzebub slowed down, dipping a little presumably from the wound that Artemis's arrow inflicted.

"We can't let him escape," Asmodeus said.

"No, let us handle it. Mayari, you can take care of her right?" Issei asked as he spread his wings.

"Don't worry about me," Asmodeus said as black mist poured from her wounds. "Go! Don't let Beelzebub escape!"

They nodded and flew off in pursuit of Beelzebub. The group followed the wisp of black mist and landed on an island close to the one they were at in the beginning.

"Split up!" Rias said.

"Right!" they said as they all took off in different directions. Issei ran through the thicket, searching for any trace of Beelzebub. A part of him said that this was a futile endeavor and that Beelzebub might have taken advantage of the barrier growing weaker and escaped.

"_Can you guys feel that?"_ Issei asked.

**[No, we can't sense anything]** Ddraig answered.

**|Be careful. We don't know if he's still here|** Tiamat said.

**(Issei behind you!) **Mastema cried out. Issei whirled around and saw a shadowy fist slam into his face. The force of the impact sent Issei flying through several trees and clear the forest. He slid across the island and stopped once he reached the edge.

Issei groaned as he looked up. He felt pain as Beelzebub's foot slammed into his chest, pinning him down.

"How easy would it be for me to take you right now," Beelzebub said as he leaned his shadowy face close to Issei's. Issei glared into the yellow eyes of the mist.

"But," Beelzebub said. "Now is not the time. Not yet at least… you know the old saying. Kill two birds with one stone?"

"What are you saying you bastard?" Issei asked.

"You'll figure it out. I believe that this is where we part ways, Issei," Beelzebub said. He mock-saluted Issei and disappeared in a funnel of smoke.

"Ugh," Issei groaned as he sat up. He rubbed his chest, feeling the pain of Beelzebub's foot slamming into it.

"Damnit!" Issei said, punching the ground. "I let him escape because I let myself get caught off guard!"

**[Don't worry Issei. You'll get another chance to get him.]** Ddraig said.

"Yeah… but what did he mean by killing two birds with one stone?" Issei asked.

"Issei!"

He turned and saw Artemis running over to him. She had her bow ready and an arrow already knocked.

Her eyes darted around frantically as she scanned her surroundings. "What happened!? Did you find Beelzebub?"

"How did you find me?" Issei asked.

"Everyone felt that quake just now. I just happened to be close by. Now answer the question. Did you find him?" Artemis asked.

"The bastard sucker-punched me and then left," Issei said.

"...," Artemis lowered her bow and knelt next to Issei. She put her weapons to the side and pulled out a small towel from her pouch. She brought it up to Issei's cheek and began to wipe the dirt off. "Be more careful and aware next time," she said as she wiped Issei's cheek.

Issei winced as he felt her touch the area where Beelzebub's fist made contact with his face.

"Does it hurt?" Artemis asked.

"A bit," Issei said.

"Issei!"

The two turned to see the others heading in their direction.

"Nii-san!" Asia ran over and knelt next to Issei as she began to use Twilight Healing to heal Issei's wounds.

"Where's Beelzebub?" Rias asked.

"He- He sucker-punched me and got away," Issei said.

"Damnit," Rias said. "Well, we'll get another chance to get him so don't worry. Come on. We have to report back to Asmodeus-sama and then head back to the Underworld."

Issei nodded and got to his feet.

* * *

"Mom. Are you sure about this?" Mayari asked.

"Yes. Beelzebub is a dangerous existence and is a master schemer. I need to do this," Asmodeus said as she stood at the gate of Kaluwahatian.

"I see… don't be away for long. If Dad wakes up and you're not here," Mayari said.

"I won't be. Don't wreck the pantheon while I'm gone," Asmodeus said.

"What kind of Queen would I be if I wrecked my own pantheon?" Mayari asked.

"You would be Gaia," Asmodeus said.

Artemis snickered at her joke.

"Are you all ready?" Asmodeus asked. Issei, Rias, and the others nodded. Asmodeus raised her hand and a small violet magic circle appeared in her hand. The roman numeral one spun lazily inside the circle as a large rip in the fabric of space and time appeared in front of them.

"Hey, why does Mayari call you mom?" Issei asked.

"Because I am," Asmodeus said as they walked through.

Unbeknownst to them all, a small black fly managed to fly through the portal before it closed.

* * *

**Omake: The Little Three**

A girl about the age of eleven sighed as she sat at the edge of a small dock. The ocean in front of her lapped at the pillars that supported the structure while a fishing rod sat in front of her. Her wings, which were whiter than the purest snow, fluttered in impatience. Her blue eyes glared at the ocean as if she wanted to boil it all until no water was left.

"You'll grow wrinkles doing that," a girl said as she threw her line in. The girl pouted and glanced at her companion. She had violet hair, rather pale skin, and dull violet eyes. She wore an Anarkali dress with wide sleeves.

"Come on... of all the boring things Ma'at had to pick, it had to be fishing," the girl said, pouting. Her white hair blew in the sea breeze as if responding to her distress.

"At least the ocean is nice, Ellie," the girl said.

"Did you catch anything by chance Kali?" Ellie asked.

"Not yet," she said.

"Hey!"

The two turned to see another girl wearing white robes, running towards them with a bucket. She had long violet hair, reaching down to her ankles and violet eyes. Her skin was dark and brought out the color of her eyes. Her eyes were a rich shade of purple that differed from Kali's.

"I got more bait- GYAA!" the girl tripped and dropped the bucket, spilling worms everywhere on the dock. A large shadow darted from behind the girl and began to eat the worms. Ellie sighed as a dragon that was larger than a dog began lapping up the worms. The dragon's scales were red with tints of black and had spines decorating its back and forearms. Two large horns resembling that of a ram were on its head and formed a v-shaped crescent alongside a crown of ten lesser horns. Its red eyes gleamed in happiness as it devoured the worms.

"Satan! NO! That's our bait!" the girl cried out.

"Satan! Barf it up!" Ellie scolded. The dragon stopped eating and slowly puked all the worms out. Ellie shivered in slight disgust while the girl turned green.

"Ma'at, it's okay," Kali said.

"But Kali! Helel! our bait!" Ma'at said.

"Don't worry. We can use the one Satan hasn't eaten yet," Helel said as she grabbed the worms that weren't covered in dragon slobber.

_"In my defense young Princess, I was getting hungry of waiting for food,_" Satan said.

"Yeah, yeah. Useless reptile," Helel said as she sat back down at the edge of the dock. Satan shifted down to a smaller size and flew over, landing on her lap. He curled up and looked out at the ocean with his master and her friends.

"So who do you think will get a bite on their line first?" Ma'at asked.

"Probably me. I do have a way with animals!" Helel said, grinning.

"I don't mean to burst your bubble Ellie but... the last time we went to go see some animals," Kali trailed off. Helel grimaced as she remembered when those lions ran in fear of her. The only animals that never feared her were birds and serpents. Kali blinked when she felt something tugging.

"Come on!" she said as she pulled. "HELP ME OUT HERE!"

Helel and Ma'at both grabbed Kali's waist and pulled as whatever was on the other side fought with all their might to drag the three girls into the ocean.

"Heave!" Helel said.

"Ho!" Ma'at groaned.

The three pulled and the ocean exploded. Satan blinked as a massive shadow landed on the ground behind them. Kali, Helel, and Ma'at looked at the massive shark that was flopping around on the ground behind them.

"A Megalodon... you caught a megalodon. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO CUT THAT!?" Ma'at said.

"I got it!" Helel grinned as she summoned a massive sword comprised of red and black energy.

"W- Wait!" Ma'at tried to stop her but Helel swung her sword, several times. She dispelled the blade and grinned as the shark was cut into several small pieces... along with the rest of their surroundings.

"I think you overdid it," Kali said.

"You think!?" Ma'at said.

"Uhhh, my bad," Helel said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Well, at least we can cook the shark now," Kali said. Helel grinned as she created a large pot while Kali summoned some wood and lit it ablaze with magic. The two moved the shark meat into the pot.

"AM I THE ONLY RESPONSIBLE ONE HERE!?" Ma'at said in an exasperated manner as she watched her two friends begin to cook the shark.

"_I'm afraid so Lady Ma'at,_" Satan said.

"...," Ma'at looked blankly at the Dragon before the two moved to go help the two girls cook before they somehow managed to mess it up.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Rhongomyniad: Well, while Trihexa wasn't really believed to have exist and was regarded more as a myth with the truth about its existence being hidden, people did know about it. The Book of Revelations did mention a beast that fit Trihexa's description so people knew about it. Of course, that also means that we only saw 2 of the three beasts of Revelation so far in the series. The First Beast which is Trihexa. The Dragon which is Great Red. But, the Second Beast hasn't been seen yet. And to answer your question, I believe that Mao's NP would have something to do with sparrows because of his Four Pests Campaign due to it being targeted. Which would be funny in my opinion.**

**leader. dbz: I see. Well then, I am sorry to have mistranslated. But please remember that this is a work of fiction and that any mythological artifact that I will show or use will have its own spin on it so... yeah. Anyway, about Lilith, she's more of a neutral player for now.**

* * *

**Ah yes, the end of the chapter. Remember folks. The battle royale starts... next chapter! So remember, make it a great day/night or not, the choice is yours~!**

**discord. gg/ V54pcwA Come and join so that we may help drive out the Witch of Miracles.**


	27. The Main Stage

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Ars Nova, Gehenna, March 2, 2020, 6:15 PM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 12 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"This place changed since I've last been here," Asmodeus said as she walked towards the Ars Nova with the others. She glanced at the massive tower and let out an impressed whistle. She glanced at all the devils rushing in and out of the building carrying papers and whatnot. Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. None of them seemed to recognize who she was. But of course, she could just chalk it up to being busy. But the thought made her smile. If no one recognized her, it would make for an explosive entrance.

"Are you surprised at how much the Ars Nova changed?" Rias asked.

"No, I'm more surprised that there's a new capitol building," Asmodeus said. "But then again, I'm not surprised. The lower levels of Hell have been sealed off since I left."

"Lower Levels?" Asia asked.

"Do you all know of the Nine Circles of Hell?" she asked.

Everyone nodded.

"That's just a story. In truth, there are only seven circles. The first two circles are accessible by both Fallen and Devils. The levels are known as Gehenna and Tzalmavet. The Land of Perdition and the Shadow of Death are their literal meanings," Asmodeus said.

"We know that but what do you mean that the lower levels are sealed?" Rias asked.

"I mean in the sense that no one can access it," Asmodeus said. "The stronghold of Lucifer, our creator, is located in the second deepest level of Hell."

"Oh," Rias said.

"But nevermind that, I was just musing. Let's go see your brother," Asmodeus said. They entered the Ars Nova and ascended the stairs towards Sirzechs' office. Rias knocked gently on the door and heard a "Come in!" from the other side. She turned the knob and opened it, holding the door for the others as they walked in.

Sirzechs, Grayfia, Mammonm, and another person waited for them on the other side. The man had pitch-black hair like that of tar. His skin was extremely pale, attributed to someone who had spent their entire day indoors and never saw the light of the sun. His eyes were like Mammon's and Asmodeus's. They were the most toxic shade of yellow that Issei had ever seen. He wore a dark sweater with a white-collar. His pants were baggy and black which made the others think that he was wearing pajamas rather than formal wear. He wore black sneakers and had a yellow pair of headphones around his neck. He looked lazily at the group as he absentmindedly scrolled through his phone's messages and notifications. Mammon had her arms crossed as she watched them walk in. Her eyes widened as Asmodeus stepped in last. Asmodeus stood near the door, frozen as she stared at Mammon and the man.

Neither moved nor breathed as they kept taking in each other's visage. They needed to know that this moment as real. Asmodeus finally let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. She opened them again and gave Mammon a warm smile. It was a smile that one would normally see on family members that they have not seen for long periods of time. A smile that one saw whenever they were reunited with someone they cherished.

"I'm home, Mammon, Belphegor," Asmodeus said, holding her arms out.

Mammon felt something wet streak down her face. The now named Belphegor dropped his phone as he stared at her. Mammon was the first to break her composure as she dashed straight into Asmodeus. Asmodeus felt the wind get knocked out of her as Mammon wrapped her arms tightly around her.

Asmodeus looked down with a mixture of sadness and happiness as she slowly brought her arms around Mammon. She stroked her violet hair softly. Asmodeus glanced over at Belphegor, who was now walking over to her. She smiled and held out her other arm as Belphegor entered the hug.

"Welcome home, Onee-sama," Belphegor said.

"Don't worry," Asmodeus said as she ruffled his hair with her hand. "I'm staying this time…"

The others looked on with a smile. They didn't want to interrupt the moment that the three oldest demons in history were clearly having. However, they were there for a reason and time was of the essence. Sirzechs coughed into his hand to get their attention.

The three siblings broke apart and turned to face Sirzechs. He walked over to Asmodeus and bowed.

"As the current bearer of the title Satan Lucifer, I hereby welcome you, Original Satan Asmodeus, back to Hell," Sirzechs said.

"I'd say it's a pleasure to be back Descendant of Bael and Gremory, but I would be lying. I'm only here because my sister requested it so and a certain incident has forced me out of retirement," Asmodeus said.

"I see," Sirzechs said.

"Tell me. Who is the current ruler of devils?" Asmodeus asked.

"Well that would be the current Four Maou," Rias said.

"She wasn't referring to them," Grayfia said.

"What?" Issei looked at Grayfia strangely.

"There are many things that the older devils had that we don't practice anymore. One of those traditions was having a supreme ruler known as Ha-Satan. You see back then, while the Four Great Satans were recognized as the Rulers of Devilkind. There was an authority above them. An old saying even. There can be many devils but only one being can be _The Devil_. That's what Ha-Satan is. The Ruler of all Devilkind. Unfortunately, we didn't reinstate that position after the Civil War ended for we believed that splitting the executive power of that position was far more effective," Grayfia said.

"So there is no current bearer of that title?" Asmodeus asked.

"No," Sirzechs said. "But, since you are here, would there be a chance that you would be willing to take that title on? You are the fourth eldest child of the Fallen Archangel Lucifer, creator of Devils. It would only be right for you to assume that position."

"Me? No," Asmodeus said. "Look, I didn't come back here to do your jobs. If that is the new system, then that is the system we shall follow now."

"Um excuse me," Rias said.

The older devils stopped to look at her.

"What is it Rias?" Sirzechs asked.

"What positions are you all referring to exactly?" she asked.

"The position of Ha-Satan. The title wielded by the Supreme King or Queen of all Demons. It's first and the only wielder was our mother, Lucifer," Belphegor said.

"But we can have one again," Sirzechs said. "The reason that we didn't have anyone was that Sensei and Belphegor-sama declined the seat, leaving no one from the Royal Families other than Rizevim. But Rizevim left Hell after the war ended as well."

"Look. We'll talk about this later," Asmodeus said, shutting Sirzechs up. "Right now, we have more important matters to attend to."

She gave Sirzechs and Grayfia a look that they both instantly nodded to. Sirzechs turned to Rias and Issei.

"You guys can go. We'll finish the rest up here," he said.

"Oh," Rias said.

"Sure, um, we'll see you all later I guess?" Issei said.

"We will. Now, go get some rest. You guys have earned it," Grayfia said, agreeing with her husband. They nodded and left the room via magic circle.

"Now that we're here by ourselves," Belphegor said. "Let's discuss why we called you from your permanent vacation, Elder Sister."

"Right. I got a glimpse of it. Beelzebub," Asmodeus said.

"To think he was still alive after all these years. I thought that Raphael killed him in battle," Mammon said.

"It appears that we were wrong," Asmodeus said.

"Excuse me but… if Beelzebub-sama was still alive, is there a chance that the other original Satans survived as well?" Sirzechs asked.

"Not likely… Satanachia is for sure dead. He was there with mother when they went to go hash out a cease-fire agreement with our grandfather," Asmodeus said. "And then… you know."

Sirzechs nodded.

"Sirzechs," Mammon said. "When the finals start, prepare to increase security around the stadium. I have an inkling that he'll be after someone while the matches are ongoing."

"After someone?" Grayfia asked.

"Yes," Belphegor said. He produced an illusory image of Issei in front of them.

"Issei," Sirzechs said. His eyes widened as he connected the dots.

"I see you've deduced the reason as to why my student," Mammon said. "The Shevirat Ha-Kelim. The origin power that birthed Devilkind as well as the power from which all devils derived their family abilities."

Sirzechs placed a hand on his chin. "I'll have to coordinate with the other Maou to get more security as well as Michael and Azazel. If one of the Seven is coming after Issei, then we'll need to maximize our security around the stadium."

"Glad we have that covered. You make to be a good leader, descendant of Bael and Gremory," Asmodeus said.

"Asmodeus-sama," Grayfia said.

"Yes, dear?" Asmodeus replied, looking at her.

"Will you assume the position of Ha-Satan? Even if it is just a temporary thing?" Grayfia asked.

"No. I won't but from what I've heard. You have an eligible candidate in the form of Satanachia's descendant, Vali Lucifer," Asmodeus said. "That would make him next in line for the title of Ha-Satan… though I doubt he would accept it."

"If Vali refuses, which I'm sure he will, we have Issei's teammate and your grandchildren, Mammon-sensei, Belphegor-sama," Sirzechs said.

"Ah yes, the Leviathan from Issei's team," Mammon said.

"I don't think Roygun would be a good choice for the title of Ha-Satan," Belphegor said.

"What of your grandson Nick?" Grayfia asked.

"I'll have to think about that but… there's something that you two should remember about the title. It's not a title inherited by the eldest but by the most capable. As the remaining members of the Seven, we ultimately have to decide on who gets the title of Ha-Satan," Mammon said.

"Let's discuss this at another date. For now, I have a debut to make," Asmodeus said.

* * *

"Uwaaahhh!" Irina said as she collapsed on the couch. Issei sighed before falling on his back. He stared up at the ceiling. It had been five minutes since they arrived home and the first thing they all did was collapse. The mission had been grueling. None of them had ever taken a mission that involved tropical weather. All of their assignments prior to the Evil Dragon War were all to the other Divine Realms or to parts of Japan and Europe. Tropical terrain was an all-new thing for them. And before any one of them could say anything different, all of them knew that the beach doesn't count.

"I can't believe we got a mission like that right before the finals!" Rias said, rolling around on the floor.

"Come to think of it… this was our first mission since you know," Issei said, sitting up. Rias and the others went silent. Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say. The atmosphere of the room was now as awkward as a child walking in on their parents performing the horizontal tango.

"It was… wasn't it," Rias said softly.

"Yeah," Akeno said.

"By the way, I have to ask Akeno. Are you alright? You had a demon riding around inside your body for months," Issei said.

"I… I don't even know how he got in there. Every time I try to remember what happened, I can't. It's like my body's actively repressing the memory or he erased it while he lived inside my head," she said.

Akeno looked at Issei apologetically. "Sorry if that didn't make sense. It was the only way that I could describe it."

"No, it's fine. But Akeno, I promise… even with what happened between us, I will give Beelzebub what's coming to him. He had no right to toy with you like that," Issei said.

Akeno smiled as did Rias. They were slowly but surely becoming friends with Issei again. Now all she needed was to help push the other girls in her peerage to do the same. Well most of them other than Rossweisse and Asia. She had heard of Issei and Rossweisse's date and she was happy for them. She truly was but part of her wished she was in Rossweisse's place.

"Hey, Rias. When we face off in the finals, don't hold back," Issei said, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked at him with a slightly shocked face. She quickly regained her composure and grinned.

"Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing," Rias said. She looked Issei in the eye, who matched her gaze with equal force. Everyone began to sweat as Issei and Rias's moods did a complete 180-degree flip. The pressure grew inside the living room as their auras manifested. Rias was surrounded by a red and black aura while Issei was surrounded by a black and violet aura. The two laughed maniacally as Rias's eyes began to glow with a deadly shade of blue.

Irina and Akeno, despite their current grievances, agreed on one thing, they didn't want to become homeless. They each grabbed their respective kings and pulled them back.

"Please don't blow up the house, Rias-sama," Akeno said.

"Issei, don't wreck the house," Irina said.

"Fine," Issei said. He looked at Rias, who kept looking at him. "But still, I stand by what I said all those months. I don't hate you or the other girls. And don't hold back on account of our previous relationship or you think that throwing the match will somehow get you back in my good graces. Trust me. I want a true fight with you Rias. A fight where we can finally settle all this once and for all. Like in all shonen anime, let's settle this with our fists."

Rias's eyes widened before nodding seriously. "Then I hope you're prepared then. I'm not holding anything back."

* * *

**Azazel Stadium, March 14, 2020, 10:30 AM**

* * *

Issei stood in their team's room. A large screen was in front of them with large words being displayed telling them to wait for the program to begin. A bead of sweat ran down Issei's head as he began to think of a way for his team to make it as far as possible in the Finals match. He knew that such a feat would be extremely difficult to achieve, considering all the teams that were participating. He placed his hand on his chin as he began to think of some way for his team to survive. After all, there have been examples of them getting out of difficult situations before.

"Aniki."

Issei turned around and saw Mitsuki standing behind him. Their team had been training extensively for the past week. Irina had run off with Rikka to get some special training that she wouldn't reveal. Issei glanced at his girlfriend who was deep in a conversation in a corner of their team's room with their senpai. Ingvild, Mica, and Tohka were also there, speaking with Irina as she showed them her bracelets.

"Are you ready for this?" Mitsuki asked.

Issei glanced from Irina to the rest of his team. Risa was sharpening her katana with a whetstone while Vasco meditated in the corner with a rosary and a bible. Bova was eating some Dragon Apples.

"Yeah. Ready to lose? Probably. Win? I don't know about that. Remember all the people we have to get through in order to win," Issei said.

"I know but… we have the Heavenly Dragon on our side," Mitsuki said.

"Vali does too but the one difference between me and him is that I can summon Ddraig from my gear," Issei said.

"Using the notes of a White Dragon Empress too. How ironic," Mitsuki mused.

"Besides, I'm sure that they've all began to develop countermeasures after they saw me summon Ddraig in our match against Kali. I doubt that they all just sat on their asses twiddling their thumbs," Issei said

"That's fair," Mitsuki said.

"**AND WE'RE LIVE!**"

Everyone turned to see Naud's face appear on the screen.

"**My my! What a week has it been! First off, we not only learn that one of the Original Maou and a member of the Seven is still alive but she's returned to the Underworld!**" Naud said.

He wasn't wrong. While they were training, Issei had heard of the uproar and shock that the Underworld had gone through when it was revealed that Asmodeus was still alive and had apparently returned. Most of the remaining Original Pillar Heads such as Zekram were overjoyed at her return, taking this as a sign that Devilkind might step into a much brighter future with her guiding the Maou. There was also apparently talk that Asmodeus might assume the title, Ha-Satan, but that was currently just a rumor.

"**Now let's get on with introducing our Finalists! This format is a bit unorthodox for a Rating Game! So far, we've had Imprisonments and Dice Figure games but this one is new! This was decided by the organizing committee to be more fun and entertaining for both the audience and the participants! This new format is a battle royale!**" Naud said.

"So… where are we dropping?" Bova asked.

Issei and Mitsuki looked at him with amused smirks.

"Promenade East?" Issei asked.

"Obviously we're dropping at the Superstore," Mitsuki said.

"Or perhaps even…"

"Downtown?"

"**Now to introduce the finalists! For the first team, we have a mishmash of various pantheons participating as one team! Team Leisure of the Kings led by the Storm Giant, the Father of all Greco-Roman Monsters, TYPHON!**"

An image of a man with blue skin and oily black hair appeared on the screen. His eyes had slit pupils like that of a snake.

"Typhon, the Father of Monsters and one of the Top Ten Strongest Existences," Vasco said.

"Already hitting us hard with the first team eh?" Rikka mumbled as she walked over to get a better look.

The next team that was introduced by Naud was Team Vajra lead by Indra, followed by Team Asura lead by Mahabali. Rikka clenched her fist at the sight of her uncle, trembling slightly in anger.

After that, Rias's Team, Sairaorg's Team and Vali's Team were introduced, gaining grins from Issei and Mitsuki.

"**And now we have one of the teams that has a lot of people rooting for them! Team Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth!**"

"That name sounds so long now that I think about it," Issei said.

"It's… just as bad as Vali's Team name," Mitsuki said.

Following their team's introduction, several more teams were introduced including Riser's brother as well as one team that caught Issei's eye.

"Huh. I ran into that team a couple of weeks ago," Issei said.

"Which team?" Irina asked.

"Team Black Hand," Issei said.

"Led by Katarina Alighieri. She kind of looks like Natalia and Eren," Irina commented.

"Huh. I never noticed that," Issei said.

"Do you think we'll run into them?" Rikka asked.

"Probably," Issei said.

"**And now! We shall begin to countdown! Five!**"

"Alright, everyone get ready. Remember, we don't hold back. Not even against Indra and Typhon! We fight them for every centimeter in the field," Issei said.

"Right!" they chorused.

"**Four!**"

"**Three!**"

"**Two!**"

"**One!**"

"**LET THE GAMES BEGIN!**"

Issei and his team were teleported out of their room and into the arena.

* * *

In the VIP Box, Grayfia smiled contentedly as she rubbed the large bulge on her stomach. Any day now. Millicas would be a sibling. Speaking of which, she glanced over at her son, who was chatting animatedly with the little girl on her husband's lap. Lily Hyoudou, formerly Hofferson, was sitting in the room with them. Issei had brought her along for the other games to watch and get used to the world that she was regrettably dragged into.

The little girl never spoke the entire time she was with them but today was different. Well not so different in the fact that she still remained quiet to them but her son was a different case. Millicas had managed to somehow get her to talk to him if only in short sentences.

"Lily, the game is starting!" Grayfia said.

"Mmm!" Lily said.

* * *

Rias sighed as she found herself on a floating island along with the rest of her peerage. She looked out upon the arena. A massive valley with several islands floating in the air. A river flowed through the valley dividing it into two before ending at a large lake. An explosion went off in the distance as Rias saw several yellow lightning bolts streak across the sky

"Looks like they already started and we just got in," Kiba commented as he saw a massive fireball fly across the sky and explode. Rias narrowed her eyes and made out the flying figure of the Hindu God of the Heavens, Indra, engaging a blue giant in combat.

"Indra-sama has already begun to fight Typhon?" Akeno asked.

"The big players are all going for each other to eliminate the competition then," Hiruko said.

"Yes but they're not our goal. Our goal is to survive long enough. We're in this match for two things. Winning and facing Issei's team," Rias said.

Asia looked at Rias. "Hmm, you and Nii-san are all fired up to face each other then?"

Rias glanced at her and nodded. "Issei and I will settle things here. Once and for all."

Issei and his team jumped from island to island, avoiding all of the fights that happened above them. He saw Indra streak across the air and slam into Typhon. He grabbed the Monster God and threw him into one of the generated mountains.

"Shit…," Issei said as he suppressed his power.

"Indra-sama isn't pulling any punches," Mitsuki said.

"Let's just hope Typhon's team can keep him distracted," Rikka said as a hail of silver arrows barraged Indra, forcing him to erect a shield

"Artemis?" Issei said. He saw the Goddess streak across the sky and land a flurry of kicks before Indra swatted her away.

"Come on," Issei said.

"Do you sense Rias?" Irina asked as they made their way across the arena. Issei nodded, eyeing the large plateau in front of them.

"They're over there," Issei said.

"They're just waiting?" Vasco asked.

"No, I think they just got there but how would I know… be careful. Other than the new guys, Rias's peerage is strong. Not as strong as Kali or Thor but there's one thing that she has that they don't. She knows how I fight. How Irina fights. How Mitsuki fights. She has that advantage and she can develop a strategy specifically to work against us three. However, the rest of you are unknown variables to her… so I'm banking on the fact that we can probably, most likely overpower her with sheer force," Issei said.

"Did you come up with that all by yourself?" Ingvild asked.

"Er… well, kind of?" Issei said.

Ddraig and Tiamat snickered inside the **[Boosted Gear]** while Mastema floated next to Issei, smiling in slight amusement. Issei sighed, knowing that that deduction was made by Tiamat and not him.

The group landed on the plateau with their guard fully up. Issei summoned the **[Boosted Gear]** and scanned his surroundings.

"So you finally show up… I was wondering when you'd get here," a voice said. Issei turned to see Rias and her peerage standing there.

Issei and his team readied themselves when they saw Team Gremory ready their weapons and powers. Rias merely stood there with a smile.

"Rias," Issei said.

"Issei," Rias replied.

"Are we gonna have our corny battle speeches before our big fight?" Issei asked.

"No, I prefer that we just get on with it. After all, this is a tournament and not the end of some shounen," Rias said as she dropped into a stance. Issei's eyes narrowed. That stance. It was oddly reminiscent of the stance that Sirzechs took during their fight when he was Satan Red.

"Is that?" Issei asked.

"Onii-sama's style? No, Onii-sama derives a lot of his standard fighting technique from this style and incorporates his own spin on it since he doesn't possess the Gremory Family Power," Rias said as her eyes glowed ominously.

"I see," Issei said. _Gremory Family Power? Now I have to deal with that and the Power of Destruction?_ Issei thought.

**[Be careful Issei. The Gremory Family Power is the Power of Sight. She can easily track your movements.]** Ddraig said.

"_So she has fancy eye powers? Neat…," _Issei replied.

Rias looked at Issei as a breeze blew in between them. Without warning, Rias rushed Issei, catching him off-guard. He never expected her to just rush him. He barely managed to raise his arms to block a powerful punch from Rias. He looked into her eyes and saw that they had changed. A floral pattern spun inside her irises as she channeled magic into her fist.

Issei pushed back, using his superior strength to send her flying several feet.

Their fight signaled their respective peerages to rush in and begin to combat each other. Risa and Vasco quickly engaged Xenovia and Kiba while Ingvild and Rossweisse dueled with magic.

Tohka and Mica engaged Rias's new pawns Hiruko and Yuu, who did fairly well considering the fact that Tohka and Mica held back. Gasper engaged Bova in a fight while Rikka weaved her way around Eren and Asia's spells.

Issei and Rias sped across the plateau, trading blow after blow. Rias gasped as Issei kneed her in the gut and sent her flying across the plateau.

**[|Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!|]**

Issei jetted off after Rias and prepared to slam her through the mountain when a pillar of ice appeared in front of him, forcing him to get back. Rias flipped in mid-air and landed on the ground. Her eyes widened when Tatsuya landed in front of her.

"Tatsuya! What're you doing?" Rias asked as she began to channel violet and black energy to her hands.

"Helping you!" Tatsuya unleashed a swirl of flames at Issei. Issei formed a sphere of destruction and fired it at the flames, erasing them instantly. He appeared in front of Tatsuya and backhanded him away.

* * *

Sirzechs sighed as he watched the game.

"That boy," Sirzechs said. He felt someone tug on his sleeve and looked down. He saw Lily looking at him with her legs crossed.

"Potty!" she said.

"Eh? Oh, come on Lily-chan!" Sirzechs said, scooping her up. He turned to his wife who watched the games alongside Millicas.

"I need to go with Lily down to the restrooms. We'll be back okay?" Sirzechs said. Grayfia nodded as Sirzechs and Lily left. Sirzechs led her down the hall to the women's restroom. He knelt before her.

"I'll wait here okay?" Sirzechs said. Lily nodded and went inside. As the girl washed her hands after she finished doing her business, a hand wrapped around her mouth. She looked up and saw a pair of yellow eyes staring into her own and screamed. However, her screams were never heard as she and her kidnapper disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving no trace that they were ever there.

* * *

Rias watched as Tatsuya flew back and glared as she rushed at Issei. She coated her leg in violet energy and kicked him. Issei blocked but felt the energy on her leg eating away at his armor. He pushed her back and dodged as Rias attempted to land a jab on his face. Her hand was coated in that violet energy once more before Issei kicked her away to gain some distance.

"Power of Destruction?" Issei asked.

"No," Rias said, wiping some blood off her mouth. "A nifty new trick that comes with my Eyes' unique power."

"New trick?"

"Yes, but let me just show you!" Rias's eyes glowed as she appeared in front of Issei. Issei couldn't react in time as Rias's knee dug itself into his helmet. Issei went flying across to the edge of the plateau where he managed to catch himself in time.

Issei raised his arm, blocking a blow from Rias. The force of her blow sent a shockwave rocketing across the entire mountain top, forcing everyone to stop their fight to hang on.

Irina looked at Rias and Issei, who were trapped in a deadlock.

"Issei!" Irina flew over to help Issei when Akeno appeared in front of her and blasted her with lightning.

"Not so fast, Irina," Akeno said. "Your fight is with me."

"Tch!" Irina glared at Akeno as she readied Hauteclere. Her bracelets began to glow.

"**Heaven Code: Deluge Armament!**" Irina said. Hauteclere was surrounded by blue magic circles, surrounding it in blue energy. Irina swung the blade, unleashing a crescent wave of power. Akeno dodged. Her eyes widened as she watched the energy travel across the arena and split the river in half.

"Out of the way Akeno!" Irina said as she delivered a roundhouse kick to Akeno's head. Akeno went flying across the air before catching herself. She rushed towards Irina and blasted her with Holy Lightning.

Irina felt an entire city's worth of electrical power slam into her, sending her crashing into the ground.

"**Code: Lightning!**" Irina's body blurred out of existence as Akeno's lightning destroyed the area where she crashed.

"I see you have some new tricks up your sleeve?" Akeno said, hovering above her.

"I do," Irina said. She raised her hand into the air. "**Code: Solar: Death Light!**"

A massive sun-like sphere appeared over Irina's hand. It was about the size of a car tire. She threw it at Akeno. Akeno felt the intense heat from the sphere and dodged. Irina appeared in front of Akeno and swiped Hauteclere. Akeno barely dodged as her bangs were cut by Irina's blade.

As the two fought in the sky, Issei slammed his head into Rias's forehead. She stumbled back a little. Issei grabbed her arm and threw her into the air. Rias spread her wings and slowed herself. She shook her head to get rid of the pain when she saw Issei slam into her. The two bulleted towards the ground. Issei let go of Rias and kicked her.

Rias let out a soundless gasp as she crashed into the ground. The force of her impact shook their surroundings as a shockwave traveled outward for several dozens of meters. Every tree within the vicinity was uprooted and sent into the air.

Rias shakily stood up, gripping her ribs. She winced when she felt pain pulsate throughout her body. She looked up, seeing Issei hovering above her in his **[Balance Breaker Form]**. She smiled.

"Looks like I have to get serious then," Rias said as the Power of Destruction began to manifest around her.

"**Null Dance: Goddess of Ruin!**"

Rias's form shifted to the form that Issei saw her use during the fight she had against Riser and Natalia. The power that radiated off her form was twenty times the amount her normal self had. If Issei had to guess, Rias was currently three times stronger than he was in his Balance Breaker without Boosts.

His musing was broken as Rias appeared above him. He raised his arms to block Rias's axe kick only to see the aura that surrounded her rapidly eating away at his armor. Rias's overwhelming physical strength in this form was also another thing Issei didn't expect. She pushed and sent Issei crashing into the ground.

"ISSEI!" Rias roared as she slammed her fist into the ground. Issei barely dodged her blow as her surroundings were completely destroyed at a sub-atomic level. She created several spears made of the power of destruction and threw them at Issei.

Issei boosted several times before firing a **[Dragon Shot]** at Rias.

"_Shit! I have to use my second form!"_ Issei said.

**[|Crimson Moon: Full Drive|]** Issei's armor shifted again to its second form as he blocked an attack from Rias. The two flickered out of existence and became two streaks of red light that rocketed across the sky, constantly clashing with each other.

* * *

Vali stopped as he felt a shockwave coming from above him. Vali and his team had just eliminated Team Phenex from the competition. Of course, the Phenex didn't go down without a fight. Vali had to fight for every inch that he earned in that fight and in the end, he won. As of right now, Vali had resolved to fight Issei now before any of the other competitors had gotten in the way of their battle or got to Issei first. He had sensed Issei's energy spike alongside Rias's and berated himself for not getting there first.

However, it wasn't a total loss. Mitsuki was there and she would serve as an ample substitute. But he needed to get there. The Bael Heir and his peerage were hot on their trail as well.

"Come on!" Vali said as they neared the plateau.

"Vali!" Kuroka said. She pointed to Mitsuki engaging one of Rias's pawns. She fluidly danced around the blasts of fire and ice with a bored look on her face.

"Come on Tatsuya… give me a better fight at least," Mitsuki said as she swept his legs out from under him. Tatsuya fell on his back. Mitsuki raised her foot to knock him out and eliminate him when a spear of ice exploded from the ground. Mitsuki caught the spear and crushed it.

"I'm not done!" Tatsuya said as he delivered a barrage of punches to Mitsuki. Mitsuki lazily raised her hands and blocked every one of the attacks before delivering a palm strike to his chest. Tatsuya stumbled back and glared at her when she grinned.

"Vali. I didn't know your team would be making a drop-by so early in the match," Mitsuki said. Her words made everyone freeze as the group, except for Rias and Issei, who were currently in the sky having their intended match, turned to face him.

Arthur nodded at Kiba and Xenovia before turning to Risa and Vasco. He nodded respectfully to them as well.

Kuroka smiled as she spotted Koneko. Bikou leaned lazily on his staff while Le Fay sat atop Fenris, who was growling at both teams.

"Vali," Irina said, hovering in the air. Akeno gulped as she eyed the White Dragon Emperor.

Gogmagog simply stood there, eyeing them with little to no emotion as attributed to its status as an automaton fueled by magic.

"Shirone nya! Your onee-chan's been busy training in Kyoto!" Kuroka said as her left eye changed color to green. Koneko's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Onee-sama," Koneko said as she began to gather energy.

Vali stared at Mitsuki, who stared back with equal force. Tatsuya backed away as their powers began to affect their surroundings. The two walked towards each other slowly.

"So Vali's starting? Isn't a gentleman supposed to let the lady start?" Bikou said as he twirled Ruyi-Jingu-Bang.

"Hehe, I can't wait to test my new stuff nya!" Kuroka said as blue flames swirled around her.

"Get ready!" Arthur said.

As he drew Caliburn, everyone dropped and began to ready themselves. Irina looked down at Mitsuki and Vali. Without warning, Vali and Mitsuki threw a punch at each other. Their fists impacted their faces as the two were sent flying away from each other due to the force of their blows.

Bikou took this as an opportunity and swung his staff, sending a shockwave that pushed both teams back. Bova used his wings to offset the blow and flew into the air, unleashing a torrent of flames. Vali Team scattered as they rushed both Issei and Rias's team.

Yuu erected a barrier with his Sacred Gear as Le Fay unleashed a barrage of magical blasts in his direction. Asia flew into the air and created a large green magic circle.

Le Fay's eyes widened as a hail of green energy rained down from the sky. She created a large magic circle that blocked all the bolts. Bikou rushed at Yuu, who still had the barrier up only to dodge as the Earth underneath him exploded. Stone spears rushed towards Bikou. He swung his staff, easily dispelling the stones.

Eren raised his hand as the gem on his sacred gear glowed. A massive wooden dragon erupted from the ground and snaked its way towards them.

"FENRIR!" Le fay called. Fenrir roared and engaged Eren's dragon, easily pinning it down. Eren gritted his teeth as he tried to fight against the God Devouring Wolf to no avail.

Meanwhile, Arthur engaged both Xenovia and Kiba at once. Kiba swung Gram which Arthur parried with Caliburn. Xenovia swung Ex-Durandal, forcing Arthur to dodge. He kicked Kiba and Xenovia out of the way and landed in front of them.

Gogmagog engaged Vasco and Risa as Risa kicked off its arm. Vasco grabbed Gogmagog and threw it at Arthur. Arthur glanced at the coming projectile and dodge. He unleashed a blast of gold energy from Caliburn at Vasco.

Risa created a light spear and threw it, intercepting Arthur's blast.

"Four vs Two hardly seems fair," Arthur said as Gogmagog stood back up. Its eyes glowed as it fired a massive lazer at Vasco. Vasco swung Durandal II, deflecting the lazer.

"Well, this is your team we're talking about," Kiba said.

"True," Arthur said.

The four rushed Arthur and Gogmagog to continue their battle. Gogmagog fired his fist at Vasco, impacting the priest in the torso. Vasco hugged the fist as he dug his foot into the ground, slowing his speed.

"BEHIND YOU!"

Vasco turned to see Kuroka get blasted away by Koneko's fist. She formed a massive blue fireball and threw it at her older sister.

Kuroka righted herself in mid-air before twisting her body out of the way to avoid the flaming ball. She narrowed her eyes as Gasper rushed at her to deliver a series of kicks and punches.

Kuroka traded blows with Gasper before kicking off into Koneko. Koneko jumped over Gasper's body and threw a flaming punch at her sister. Kuroka dodged but felt a series of spells hit her from behind.

She growled and turned to see Rosweisse holding her hand out.

"HAAAH! TAKE THIS!" A series of magic circles appeared in the air behind Rossweisse and all fired at Kuroka. Kuroka created a large violet magic circle and fired a barrage of blue flames to intercept her magical blasts.

The force sent shockwaves throughout the mountain. As Rossweisse prepared to fire another spell, she took to the air as a blast of water carved a trench through the mountain. She turned to see Ingvild with her hand out.

"Shit," Rossweisse said as she blocked another one of Ingvild's attacks. Kuroka sighed in relief as she saw Ingvild and Rossweisse resume their clash of magic.

She turned her attention back to Koneko when Rikka swiped her sword, forcing her to duck. Rikka backflipped as Kuroka's flaming claws narrowly missed her. She landed across from her.

Koneko and Rikka stood across from Kuroka. She narrowed her eyes.

"An Astra possessor huh?" Kuroka said.

Rikka remained silent as she leveled **Obsidian Rite **at Kuroka.

"At least I get to show off this fancy new form," Kuroka said. She closed her eyes and focused as a shroud of chakra surrounded her. The shroud turned red as she got down on all fours and let out an animalistic roar. She sounded like a cross between a jaguar, a tiger, and a lion all crossed together. Kuroka's right eye became green as her fangs elongated. Her skin began to peel off revealing a blood-red skin like energy. Blue flames began to encircle her entire body forming a black and blue sphere. The ground underneath Kuroka gave away underneath her creating a large crater. Everyone around Kuroka backed away as the flaming sphere expanded to about 15 meters in height and thirty meters in diameter.

Rikka's eyes widened as she looked at Kuroka.

"Shit," Rikka said. She closed her eyes and activated **Code: Laevateinn**.

Koneko gritted her teeth as the two women next to her achieved levels of power beyond what she could currently handle. She had no choice. She had to use her other form. Koneko closed her eyes and began to gather natural energy. She channeled that energy, syncing it with her touki. Her hair grew longer as she began to get older. Her breasts grew larger as well as an aura of white surrounded her.

"**Nya? Looks like Shirone's going into her Shirone mode**," Kuroka mused.

Rikka eyed the nekomata. She kicked off and dashed towards Kuroka, kicking her jaw. The massive two-tailed cat skidded backward. Kuroka roared as she swung one of her paws at Rikka with impressive speed. Rikka felt Kuroka's paw hit her as she crashed into the ground. Her eyes widened as she rolled out of the way to avoid Koneko's fist.

"Shit," Rikka said. _I wonder how Issei's faring._

* * *

Issei and Rias clashed across the sky, trading blows with each other. Issei had to admit. He never expected for Rias to get so good at hand to hand combat in a matter of a couple of months. She spin-kicked Issei, sending him crashing into the valley below.

Rias raised her arms and formed a massive sphere of destruction and fired it at Issei.

**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**

Issei boosted ten more times.

"**Ummu Hubur!**" Issei fired a blast of blue energy that intercepted Rias's sphere. The attacks canceled each other out and exploded in mid-air. Issei flew through the smoke and landed a solid blow in Rias's torso.

Rias gritted her teeth as she fought through the pain. She elbowed Issei before pushing him back. As she did, Issei landed a kick on her chest that sent her flying back a few feet.

Issei breathed as he smiled underneath his helmet.

"You know Rias. You really are a prodigy," Issei said.

Rias quirked an eyebrow. She had heard those words several times from her peers, parents, and other devils. It was true. Rias had a vast amount of natural talent that rarely required her to train. Any form of magic, she was able to soak up and learn within a short period of time. But the way Issei said it was different for she had the feeling that she was referring to something else.

"In what way?" Rias asked.

"You managed to get this good at a family power you never thought you had as well as learn your family's combat style within the span of a few months," Issei said.

"Hmph. It was my hard work and besides, you're not one to talk. You who got stronger day after day to the point where you can fight deity class beings and Super Devils," Rias said. "My progress may be remarkable according to you but yours was nothing short of incredible. To make that jump in nothing more than a year. I have to give you credit Issei."

"Aww jeez," Issei said.

"Issei," Rias said.

"What is it?"

"I know I've said it a lot by now but-!"

"I know. I forgive you for what happened. It… It wasn't your fault."

"..."

"But that doesn't mean that we have to be enemies. I still want to be close. Not as lovers but maybe as something else? Maybe we can work on our relationship again to become something as close but not in a romantic sense," Issei said.

"I see… I'm glad," Rias said, tears streaking down her face.

"Hey, wait why are you crying?" Issei asked.

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me after everything. I thought that… I thought that everything was just you forcing yourself to interact with me and the others but to hear you say this. It makes me happy, Ise," Rias said.

"Should we?" Issei asked.

"Yeah," Rias said. She appeared in front of Issei and landed a solid blow to the side of his face. Issei's face snapped to the side. Rias didn't let up as she dug her knee into Issei's gut. Issei flew back, unable to comprehend what just happened. He looked up and saw Rias with a large swirling sphere of destruction. She slammed it into his body and sent him hurtling towards the ground.

"TCH! HAAAAH! **D- Deep Crimson Spiral!**" Issei managed to create a Power of Destruction sphere in front of him to counter Rias's swirling orb. He kicked his Crimson Spiral, sending both orbs into the air.

"ISSEI!" Rias coated her fist in crackling violet energy that synchronized with her Power of Destruction. She dashed towards Issei, her fist reared back.

"RIAS!" Issei boosted his power as he dashed towards her, a basketball-sized orb of destruction forming in his palm.

The two threw their hands towards each other, their attacks colliding in a brilliant display of light. Energy arced off the collision point as it razed the land around them. Trees, rocks, and soil were erased, destroyed down to the constituent part of even their atoms. The area shook as waves of power traveled across the arena to be felt and sensed by all the participants. The arena's barriers struggled to contain the power being let out by Issei and Rias's attacks as the light grew brighter. It reached a point where the bright sphere of energy formed by the collision between the two attacks collapsed in on itself and exploded. The land was enveloped in a polychromatic sphere of pure power that expanded outward. The sphere contracted and vanished, leaving a large crater that was 100 meters in diameter.

Rias and Issei fell from the air and landed on the ground, wounds all over their body from the explosion. Rias got to her feet first and dashed, disappearing in a burst of speed. She reappeared above Issei and performed an ax kick, embedding her heel into his stomach.

Issei gasped in pain before recovering. He pushed her off and hopped to his feet. He blasted Rias with golden fire. Rias rolled out of the way only to be kicked by Issei. She skidded back and fired a barrage of red energy spheres.

Issei zigzagged around them and blasted Rias with a telekinetic blast.

"Gak!" Rias flew back from the impact of the blast before firing a beam of energy the punctured through Issei's arm. Issei screamed as he gripped his left arm. He looked down and saw a hole in his armor.

Issei gritted his teeth as he began to trade blows with Rias despite the pain he felt in his left arm. Rias punched Issei's face while Issei punched hers, causing them to fly apart.

**[I never thought that the Gremory Girl could push you this far in a serious fight]** Ddraig said.

"_Me neither_," Issei said. As Issei moved in to continue the fight, he paused. Someone was coming. Two signatures. Devils from the feeling.

"Rias," Issei said.

"What?" Rias asked as she crossed her arms. Why had he halted their fight? It was just getting to the good part in her opinion.

"Someone's coming," he said.

"Someone?" she asked.

"Two people. Devils I think," Issei said.

Rias narrowed her eyes and sensed for it. The minute she did, she stumbled back. "That's massive! There's two massive power signatures heading our way!"

"You got any Phenex tears on you?" Issei asked.

"Yeah," Rias said. "You?"

"They're with Mii-chan," Issei said.

"Take it," Rias said, handing him the vial.

"No, you keep it… besides, they're already here," Issei said, looking up. Rias's eyes widened as she followed his gaze. Above them were two figures that they both recognized. The girl with black hair and yellow eyes was Katarina Alighieri, the leader of Team Blackhand. Issei glanced over at her companion. Her companion was a woman who wore black clothing. She had long red hair similar to Rias's. Her face was indiscernible due to the mask that she wore. Her mask was a simple matter. It was a white porcelain mask with two holes for the eyes and a straight red line running through each eyehole.

"Why are they here?" Rias asked, warily watching them as they descended.

"Hey!" Issei called out. "Can't you guys wait? I'm kind of busy fighting someone here!"

Without warning, Katarina dashed towards Issei and Rias, getting in between them at speeds that should've been impossible.

"!?" Rias found Katarina's hand wrapped around her face as the woman threw her into the air. Her companion caught Rias and restrained her. Rias struggled as she tried to get out of the companion's grip. "LET ME GO!"

"RIAS! YOU BITCH!" Issei attempted to punch her face and shatter her jaw in the process.

"_Sit still for me_," Katarina said.

Issei felt his body freeze as the very thought of not moving entered his mind.

**[LUXURIA!]** Ddraig said.

**|ISSEI SNAP OUT OF IT!|** Tiamat said.

Issei blinked as he started to move again. "W- What just happened?" Issei asked.

**[Luxuria. The Naamah Family Magic. You've faced it before with… Natalia]** Ddraig said.

"This person's a…?" Issei mumbled. "Tch!" He dropped into a stance as Katarina turned around and began to walk over.

"Haaah!" Issei rushed at her and delivered a flurry of punches. Katarina gracefully dodged and weaved her way around Issei's attacks. She parried one of his punches and slammed her fist into his solar plexus.

Issei felt all the air get knocked out of his body as he fell to his knees and clutched his stomach. He looked up at her and was shocked as her form began to change. Her clothes remained the same but her hair became darker. It grew longer until it reached down to her waist. A pair of curved horns appeared on her head as her eyes began to glow.

**[I- Impossible!]** Ddraig said.

**(...)**

"_Ddraig… Tiamat… who is she?_" Issei asked in pain.

"Who am I?" A wicked smile spread across her face. Issei's eyes widened. How did she know what he said to them just now.

"Why my dear Issei… I'm the ancestor of your sister's boyfriend. The ancestor of the one forced to ruin your relationship. I am… Naamah," she said.

"And I and my partner, Apollyon, are here with our leader to capture you," she said.

"L- Leader?" Issei asked.

Katarina- no, Naamah's grin grew wider as she waved her hand. Issei felt his entire body freeze as she pulled out a piece of paper. She channeled magic into it and a green magic circle appeared. A symbol shaped like the letter B styled like an insect's wing spun lazily in the middle.

A man appeared forth from the circle. He had dark skin and long yellowish-white hair with spiky bangs. He wore dark clothing and a long black cloak. His eyes were like the other Primes he had met. A poisonous shade of yellow filled to the brim with unholy power. But Issei knew those eyes. Those eyes he had so recently encountered just only a week prior. The man opened his eyes and a pillar of darkness shot into the sky, bathing the entire arena in darkness.

"So we meet again, Special Child," the man said.

Issei narrowed his eyes while Rias's eyes widened in fear.

"Beelzebub."

* * *

**Hey guys!... I'm sorry I can't really answer reviews this chapter but I promise I will answer them next chapter! My grandmother passed away sadly while I was working on this chapter and they just buried her today. We weren't able to go due to distance and travel restrictions because of COVID-19 so if you were wondering why this chapter is two days late... there you go. **


	28. The Culling

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Azazel Stadium, March 14, 2020, 11:55 AM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 10 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Asmodeus's eyes widened as she shot up from her seat. Belphegor and Mammon narrowed their eyes as they saw Beelzebub appear on the field. The entire audience went silent at the sight of the newcomer and Naud was shocked.

"**Umm, folks, it seems that we have a new visitor but I'm not sure that how he was able to get into the arena,"** Naud announced.

"Nee-sama," Mammon said.

"That… is that… Naamah?" Belphegor asked.

"How… she died? Kokabiel killed her!" Mammon said.

"...," Asmodeus bit her thumb as she eyed the two demons inside the arena. Her eyes drifted to the third who was restraining Rias. She didn't recognize her. She could see the red hair that came out from her hood and guessed that she was of Gremory descent but nothing else. She was a wild card that worked for them.

"We have to notify Sirzechs," Asmodeus said.

"I'm already on it," Mammon said, forming a CC.

"_Sensei? Thank goodness! We need your help! It's-!"_

"Sirzechs! Beelzebub is in the arena!" Mammon said.

"_What? Wait? He's here!? How did he even get in?"_ Sirzechs yelled.

"Yes and… he was summoned. Oh right, Naamah is here as well," Mammon said. "They have your sister and Issei cornered."

"_... Fuck they must have done it,_" Sirzechs said.

"Done what?" Asmodeus said. Mammon glanced over at her older sister and enlarged her CC, placing it on speaker.

"_Lily. Issei's charge and one of the children that Beelzebub has been sending agents to kidnap. She was just taken from us_," Sirzechs said.

"Killing two birds with one stone… He's here for the girl and Issei," Asmodeus said.

"_I'm heading into the Arena. I'll make an announcement. Maybe Indra-sama will here it and intervene,_" Sirzechs said.

"Sirzechs," Belphegor said.

"_What is it?_"

"Be careful. Just because you're more powerful than Beelzebub doesn't mean that you can win outright. Our brother is crafty and cunning so you need to watch your step. We'll head to the VIP booth to meet up with the other leaders," Belphegor said.

"_Understood! I'm heading in!_" Sirzechs said.

* * *

Issei stared up at the man floating in the air next to Naamah. His eyes glinted with a look of victory as he floated down closer to Issei. He landed in front of him as he stared into the young man's eyes. He grinned.

"It's been what… a week?" Beelzebub asked.

Issei didn't respond and instead, opted to punch Beelzebub in the face. The sound of his nose breaking could be heard as the Prime Demon stumbled back. Beelzebub raised his hand to his broken nose and wiped off the blood. Issei and Rias watched in sick fascination as Beelzebub's nose snapped back into place. The Demon grinned and punched Issei in the solar plexus, shattering the armor plating around his torso.

"GAK!" Issei gasped and fell to his knees. He began to heave his breakfast alongside a good amount of blood.

"ISSEI!" Rias struggled against her captor. She turned and glared into her captor's eyes. Her form glowed as she unleashed a wave of destructive power. Her captor was surprised and released her, allowing Rias to fly towards Beelzebub.

"HAAAH!" Rias began to build up a massive coating of Power of Destruction and Null in her hand. She got within inches of Beelzebub and threw her hand forward. Her eyes widened in shock when he didn't even glance at her and grabbed her energy coated hand. The energy began to wane and weaken. Rias felt her power being sapped from her very body as Beelzebub continued to grip her hand. She summoned whatever power she had that wasn't stolen and fired it in Beelzebub's face.

The Demon released her and fell to the ground, his head having been blown off his body.

"Take _*pant*_ that!" Rias said as her Ruin Goddess form faded away.

"Naamah," the masked demon said as she hovered right next to her.

"Hmmm," Naamah said, crossing her arms.

"Issei, are you alright?" Rias asked, kneeling next to him. She began to apply healing magic on his body when Issei grabbed her and shoved her out of the way.

Her eyes widened when Issei blocked Beelzebub's hand, which was centimeters away from her skull. Beelzebub glared at Issei as he began to form a swirling ball of power in his right hand.

"**Deep Crimson Spiral!**" Issei slammed the swirling sphere of destructive power into Beelzebub. Beelzebub was shot back, crashing through the trees. In the distance, a large explosion happened, as Rias felt the blast wave travel over to them.

"**We just received word from Satan Lucifer. Everyone is to evacuate the stadium immediately. All participants are to be retired right now!**" Naud said.

Naamah scoffed as she began to chant in a language that Issei was unfamiliar with.

"**Ar om Iad**!" Naamah raised her hand as a massive streak of golden energy shot into the sky and into the earth beneath them. Runes appeared all over the arena, forming a massive barrier that encompassed the entire rating game dimension.

* * *

Asmodeus, Mammon, and Belphegor burst into the VIP Box where the other important figures were. Ra and Shiva were watching the situation unfold with a calm face while Kali gripped her chair, the arm corroding underneath her destructive power.

"Auntie," Asmodeus said.

Kali turned around and sighed in relief.

"Asmodeus. You're alive… so the rumors were true. But that's not the case, that demon, Naamah, she…," Kali said.

"An Enochian Space-Time Barrier," Michael said. "We won't be able to pull them out."

"Won't this trap them in as well?" Grayfia asked.

"No," Azrael said.

"The barrier allows the caster and whoever it wants to enter and exit as they please," Azazel said.

"That means that Sirzechs can't get in," Ajuka said.

"No. He can't," Michael said.

"Damnit! That means Issei is trapped in there with that fiend! Why would Beelzebub even do this!? Ellie never taught him to be like this!" Kali said.

"We… don't know why he's doing what he's doing," Asmodeus said.

"Let's get back to more important matters. There are people here, including myself, that can unravel the barrier however, it will take time," Shiva said.

"How long?" Grayfia asked.

"Half an hour from the looks of it," Asmodeus said.

"Half an hour? We don't have that time!" Serafall said. "Issei and Ria-tan are trapped in there alongside everyone else!"

"We have no choice," Belphegor said.

* * *

"What's going on?" Vali said as he and Mitsuki paused their fight. The sky had turned dark for a couple of minutes which was followed by a shower of golden lights.

"Aniki," Mitsuki said.

"Mitsuki! What's happening?" Irina said as she and Akeno flew over to them. "What was that announcement just now?"

"They said there was an intruder in the…," Mitsuki's eyes widened.

"What?" Irina asked.

"You think it's him?" Mitsuki asked.

"Who?" Vali asked her with a confused look.

"It's him…," Akeno said. Her body began to shiver as she felt traces of the demon who spiritually violated her. Her skin paled as fear overtook her body.

"H- He's here," Akeno whimpered.

"Akeno… Tch! That bastard!" Irina said.

"Who's here? I don't understand what's going on! What's happening?" Vali asked.

"A demon. One of the Seven Prime Demons and one of the Four Original Satans is here. I think he's here for Issei," Mitsuki said.

Irina gritted her teeth and flew off in the direction that Issei and Rias had shot in during their battle.

"IRINA! Where are you going!?" Mitsuki yelled.

"To go save Issei!" she yelled, not even bothering to stop. Mitsuki sighed.

"Vali. Akeno. Get everyone and meet us over there!" Mitsuki said as she took off after Irina. The two nodded and went to go gather everyone.

Akeno and Vali landed in front of a group of confused competitors. Kuroka shifted back to her human form and walked up to Vali.

"What's going on?" Kuroka asked.

"Someone's here to kidnap Issei," Vali said. Everyone's eyes widened.

"N- Nii-san? But why would anyone want to…?" Asia asked.

"We don't know," Akeno said. "But we have to keep them from getting Issei."

"Where are they?" Rikka asked.

"Irina and Mitsuki are heading to them right now but we're wasting time! Let's go!" Vali said.

"Right!" everyone said, even Tatsuya, albeit more hesitantly.

* * *

Indra levitated in the air next to Typhon as Naud finished his announcement and the barrier spell was cast.

"Do you know what's going on?" Indra asked.

"No," the King of Monsters responded.

"_Indra-sama_," a voice called as a CC popped up next to Indra's ear.

"Maou Lucifer. What's going on? Why has the match been canceled?" Indra asked.

"_There are intruders in the arena! I can't get in. Whatever they did is preventing me from entering to assist!_" Sirzechs said.

"I assume that this call wasn't to check on me but more so to ask me to go check on your sister and her friends?" Indra asked.

"_Yes. Please. Go save Issei and the others_," Sirzechs said.

"A Maou begging? How quaint. Fine," Indra said.

"_Thanks-!" _Sirzechs was unable to finish his sentence as Indra severed the CC.

"What's going on?" Artemis asked.

"There are intruders in the arena. Sirzechs has asked me to take care of them. King of Monsters. We'll continue this fight some other time. I have something to do," Indra said as he closed his eyes.

"It's him, isn't it. That foul sinister power's ingrained itself into my brain after our encounter in Bathala's realm a week ago," Artemis said.

Indra remained silent, flying over there with such force that Artemis and Typhon were blown back. Artemis sighed and whistled. She waited and waited only to find nothing. Her chariot didn't appear.

"It seems that the barrier spatial locked us in here," she said. "We can't summon or teleport in or out of the arena."

* * *

"_Damnit!_" Issei said. Rias was sent crashing into a tree and slid down, bleeding from her forehead.

"YOU BASTARD!" Issei lunged at Beelzebub and delivered a devastating uppercut to the demon's head. Beelzebub was sent flying into the air. Issei grabbed his leg before he could get away and slammed Beelzebub on the ground.

**[|Chaos Break: Satan Drive!|]** Issei was clad in the same demonic scale mail he used to defeat Thor. At speeds Beelzebub couldn't perceive, Issei rammed his fist into his stomach, causing the demon to cough up blood.

"Good. Fan that fire in your belly Issei. You'll need IT!" Beelzebub headbutted Issei and kicked him away. He raised his hand and formed several green magic circles. A swarm of hornets came out from them and pointed their stingers at Issei.

**[Lord of the Flies]** Ddraig said. **[Be careful]**

"I know. I guess it's time to swat some bugs," Issei said as he summoned Ascalon.

"_Tiamat. I need your help with this_," Issei said.

**|Right|** Tiamat said. Issei pointed his finger at Beelzebub. The gem on the **[Boosted Gear]** turned blue.

Issei fired a blast of razor-sharp winds at the insects. Beelzebub narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers. The insects glowed as the wind was absorbed into the swarm.

"Our powers are useless then if he can just continuously absorb them," Issei said.

"So you figured it out. The only way to truly fight me is to fight me head-on. No fancy magic spamming. No Shevirat Ha-Kelim. Just good old fisticuffs," Beelzebub said.

"Tch!" Issei disappeared in a burst of speed, slicing through the swarm. He appeared above Beelzebub, who looked at him with slight look of shock. Issei brought Ascalon down on him. Beelzebub smirked as several tendrils made of shadows blocked the blade.

"So Issei. You're going to keep struggling?" Beelzebub asked as he formed an energy blade. Issei glanced behind Beelzebub and saw a familiar sight darting towards them. He grinned and kicked off Beelzebub, using his face as a launchpad.

Beelzebub felt a massive surge of energy heading towards him. He turned and raised his hand, halting a bolt of lightning, barely midflight. Beelzebub slid back as he roared. As he struggled Naamah placed her hand on her forehead and sighed in annoyance.

"Beelzebub… just absorb it," Naamah said.

Issei's eyes widened as a mass of tendrils enveloped lightning. The lightning began to fizzle and warped until the lightning disappeared into Beelzebub.

"Wow! That was a bit spicy. But then again, any energy and magic attack with divine and holy properties always adds a bit of a spicy kick," Beelzebub said as he closed his fist. "Oh?" Beelzebub barely jumped back as something crashed into the ground.

Naamah and Apollyon erected a barrier around themselves, protecting themselves from the shockwave. Rias shielded herself as the winds died down and her eyes widened as the figure stood in the crater.

"I- Indra-sama!" Rias said.

Beelzebub narrowed his eyes.

"Indra, eh? Shit," Beelzebub said as he slowly backed off.

"This might be a problem," Naamah said.

"Would you like me to take care of him?" Apollyon asked.

"No. You'll lose," Naamah said. She glanced over Beelzebub, who stood there staring at Indra.

"Vedic God of Heaven," Beelzebub said, dusting himself off.

"Original Maou Beelzebub," Indra said. "Word was that you died facing the Archangel Raphael."

"Well then, as you can see, my death was _greatly_ exaggerated. I've been recuperating. Biding my time for my big debut into this world again," Beelzebub said.

"I see," Indra said. He attempted to scan Beelzebub's mind only to find himself being forcefully ejected. "Your mind is well guarded and locked down."

"I know and did anyone ever tell you how rude it is to look into someone's thoughts like that," Beelzebub retorted.

Issei took advantage of the situation and made a beeline towards Rias to help her up. Naamah and Apollyon stood on the sidelines, watching Issei. Naamah glanced at Mammon and the demon nodded. Her eyes glowed red as her body began to distort, spaghettified as she was sucked into a swirling vortex that warped reality.

"Go Red Dragon. I'll take care of them," Indra said.

"I owe you one!" Issei said as he helped Rias to her feet and began carrying her. He took off into the air. Indra grinned and turned back to face Beelzebub. He summoned his weapon. An odd-looking golden club with two spherical heads on both ends. It was his weapon of choice. A weapon that commanded lightning more divine than the Cadre Class Fallen Angel, Baraqiel.

"Well then, Beelzebub," Indra said, leveling the Vajra at him. Beelzebub stiffened as Indra fired another bolt of lightning. Beelzebub desperately tried to dodge but one of the bolts slammed into him. Naamah watched passively as Beelzebub burst into a cloud of black smoke.

Indra stood there, his weapon was still drawn watching the cloud fall to the ground before splitting into several pieces. The pieces elongated and rushed past him into the air next to Naamah. The pieces reconstituted and coalesced into Beelzebub, who cracked his neck.

"Oww, fucking… you discorporated me you sick fuck!" Beelzebub said.

"You're alive after that hit? You Primes are more resilient than I originally thought," Indra said.

"Beelzebub. How do we deal with him? This is taking too long anyway and our target's getting away," Naamah said, crossing her arms.

"Don't worry. I knew that a bunch of Gods were here so I came prepared," Beelzebub said, pulling out a small violet crystal. The crystal had a symbol engraved into it in the ancient language of Heaven and Hell. He smiled as he tossed it into the air.

Indra, recognizing the symbol, blasted Beelzebub again. The demon reacted in time and absorbed Indra's lightning blast. The God of Heaven appeared in front of Beelzebub and punched him in the gut. Beelzebub doubled over in pain. Indra brought his leg up and kicked Beelzebub. Beelzebub's form shattered into black smoke that swirled around Indra.

Indra blasted it with energy, forcing Beelzebub's incorporeal form to weave around him dart into the shrubbery to avoid the blasts. He turned to Naamah, who stood their passively with her barrier active.

"Not attacking me. Wise choice, filthy devil," Indra said.

"I don't need to attack you," Naamah said.

Indra raised an eyebrow as she pointed to the sky. His eyes widened when he saw the crystal hovering. Naamah's right hand, which she used to point into the sky, closed into a fist as the crystal shattered.

"**Divine Abolishment Sigil**," Naamah whispered as golden light streamed from the broken crystal. Indra screamed as the surroundings were engulfed in light. When the light died down, Indra was gone without a trace.

"You couldn't have done it sooner?" Beelzebub said, walking out of the trees.

"I needed a distraction," Naamah said.

* * *

"Divine Abolishment Sigils," Kali said, "They're prepared for this."

"They knew that there were powerful deities here and brought Abolishment Sigils in the event that they needed to expel or banish one that got in their way," Azazel said.

"How much longer?" Grayfia asked.

"Give me five more minutes," Asmodeus said.

"You said that five minutes ago!" Azrael argued.

"WELL SORRY! Naamah is using magic she learned from our older sister and you know how good she is at that," Asmodeus snapped.

The others went silent as Asmodeus went back to unweaving her barrier.

"Ajuka! Can't you do something?" Grayfia asked.

"I'm trying but… the barrier is constantly adapting and evolving. It's like trying to hack into a supercomputer that knows you're inside," Ajuka said as several runic formulas spun around him.

"Issei," Azrael said, looking at the monitors.

* * *

Issei flew as fast as he could with Rias in his arms. In the distance, he spotted Irina and Akeno, flying at breakneck speeds towards them. The two stopped and waved as Irina and Akeno slowed down and hovered in front of them.

"Rias-sama!" Akeno flew over and gently took some of Rias's weight off from Issei.

"I can fly fine!" Rias said. "Just… get me some Phenex tears."

"Right here," Akeno said, pulling a vial out of her pocket and administering it to Rias.

"Issei, is it?" Irina asked.

"Y- Yeah. Indra's holding him off right now if that light was anything… kinda feel bad. Indra will slaughter him," Issei said.

"Well, we have to get out of here," Akeno said.

"I'll call Nii-san," Rias said.

"Yeah," Issei said as he glanced around them. Something didn't sit right with this situation.

"Aniki!"

Issei whirled around to see Vali, Mitsuki, and the others arriving at the scene. The group surrounded them as Vali flew over to Issei.

"Issei! What the hell is going on?" Vali asked.

"There's an intruder invading the games," Issei said. "It's…"

"It's him isn't it," Mitsuki said.

"He's fighting Indra right now," Issei said.

"Guys," Rias said, slashing the CC. She looked at them with a grim face.

"What? What happened?" Issei asked.

"We're trapped…," Rias said.

"Trapped?" Kiba asked.

"You mean. We can't get out of here?" Asia asked.

Rias nodded.

"We have a couple of minutes before Asmodeus-sama undoes the barrier. And… Nii-sama said something. Issei. Mitsuki. Asia," Rias said with a grave and somber tone.

Issei stiffened, not liking the sound of Rias's voice.

"Lily… she's missing," Rias said.

Issei, Mitsuki, and Asia's eyes widened. Irina's hands flew to her mouth in horror.

"You're lying," Issei said.

"No… one of them snuck in while the chaos was happening and took her from right under their noses," Rias said.

"GODDAMNIT!" Issei fired a **[Dragon Shot]** into the air, shaking the barrier. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Everyone was pushed back as a red aura slammed into them. Issei's eyes became toxic pits of green light as he roared.

"ISSEI!" Irina yelled as she pushed through the winds.

"Irina!" Rossweisse called as she watched her friend try and get to Issei.

"Issei! Please calm down! We'll get her back!" Irina yelled. Her words seemed to have an effect on Issei as the aura and winds began to weaken. She smiled slightly as she got closer. The closer she got, the weaker the gales got to the point where they devolved into a gentle breeze.

"...," Issei looked at her with a hopeless gaze. Irina felt her heart crack. As she got closer, her eyes widened. A distortion appeared behind Issei, causing Irina to reach out to grab him.

"ISSEI! BEHIND YOU!" Irina yelled.

Issei turned around to see a gloved fist slammed into his face. The masked demon who went by the name Apollyon appeared from the distortion. She raised her arm and summoned two red magic circles that fired two bolts of scarlet electricity at Irina. She dodged her lightning blasts.

"GUYS! SHE'S AFTER ISSEI! STOP HER!" Irina called.

Vali and Mitsuki appeared next to her and threw their attacks. Their eyes widened when their attacks passed through Apollyon as if she wasn't even there.

Apollyon slammed her palms into Vali and Mitsuki's chests, knocking the air out of their bodies and sending them flying. Vali crashed into a river several hundred meters away while Mituski crashed into the forest.

Apollyon grabbed Issei's collar and brought him closer to her. He glared at her with a bloody snarl and tried to punch her. Unfortunately, his hand went through her face, passing through it as if she was made of air.

"Go to sleep," Apollyon said. He looked into her eyes, seeing the design embedded into them spinning slowly.

**[ISSEI! FIGHT IT!]**

**|ISSEI!|**

**(ISS-!)**

Issei felt his world spin as Ddraig, Tiamat, and Mastema's voices faded away. His world turned black as he passed out in Apollyon's grip.

Irina's eyes widened as Issei went limp.

"ISSEI!" she flew over to them and created a large flaming sphere in her left hand.

"LET HIM GO!" she screamed, throwing the sphere.

"Tch! HAAAH!" Rikka unleashed a swathe of fire using Agneyastra while Bova fired a massive ball of fire from his mouth.

Akeno unleashed a stream of Holy Lightning while Rias fired a massive sphere of Destruction. Risa fired a hail of light spears while Ingvild, Mica, and Tohka combined their techniques and fired a massive storm of lightning, shadows, and water at Apollyon. Le Fay, Rossweisse, and Kuroka unleashed a hail of spells while Gasper attempted to bind Apollyon with his Sacred Gear's time stop.

Apollyon merely stood there as she brought Issei close to her. Irina's eyes widened as Issei seemingly flickered out of reality, disappearing in a swirling distortion. All of their attacks hit, creating an explosion that ruptured the sky and shook the arena.

Irina flapped her wings, blowing away the smoke to reveal no one in the place where Apollyon was.

"Where did she go?" Irina asked, frantically looking around.

"I can't sense them or Issei," Rias said.

"WELL TRY HARDER!" Rossweisse said. Rias was taken aback. Rossweisse rarely snapped when she was sober so to her Rossweisse yelling at her with pure fury scared her a little.

"Hey! She's trying!" Akeno said.

"Well, she's not trying hard enough!" Kuroka said.

"I can't sense him either with senjutsu," Koneko said.

Kuroka growled and turned to Le Fay.

"Can you?" she asked. Le Fay's eyes widened as she looked away from the furious Nekoshou.

"N- No," Le Fay said.

"Kuroka-san. Rossweisse-sensei. Please calm down," Kiba said.

"He's right," Irina said. "Panicking won't get us to Issei. We need to tell the Maou."

Beelzebub and Naamah sat on a branch, waiting for Apollyon's return when a CC appeared next to their ears.

"_I've captured the target,_" Apollyon said.

"Let's go," Beelzebub said, severing the link. Naamah nodded as they disappeared without a trace.

* * *

Asmodeus's eyes widened as the resistance she was facing suddenly vanished.

"It's gone?" she said.

"Yeah," Azrael said. "We're too late."

Asmodeus looked at her aunt in a confused manner and saw her gesture to the screen. Her eyes widened when there were no traces of Beelzebub, Naamah, the masked demon, or Issei on any of the monitors as Grayfia frantically switched from camera to camera.

"No, no, no, no!" Grayfia said.

"Grayfia," Ajuka said.

"NO! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THEY GOT HIM! YOU TWO DIDN'T TRY HARD ENOUGH!" Grayfia said in anger. Her aura began to grow as the temperature in the room dropped. As her power was about to reach the point where the entire city and the surrounding area would've been frozen, Azazel appeared behind Grayfia and chopped her neck, knocking her out.

"She needs to collect herself," Azazel said as he caught her. He lowered her gently to the floor and sighed.

"Is Sirzechs still trying to get in?" Michael asked.

"No, he's in," Belphegor said as he saw Sirzechs's magic circle appear in the arena monitor.

"Call him back," Azazel said. "We need to convene a meeting."

"Yeah," Ajuka said as he formed a CC.

* * *

Vali Team, Rias's peerage, and what was left of Team Midnight Dragon were sitting in the ballroom of the Ars Goetia. Risa and Vasco stood with Dulio next to Heaven's representing Archangels, Michael and Gabriel. The entire room was packed and chaotic as the gods all yelled at each other. The Four Maou and Grayfia attempted to maintain control over the Gods much to their failure.

"What happened to the security!?" one god yelled.

"Please. Everyone calm down-," Sirzechs said but was interrupted as a busty blonde woman spoke up.

"You assured us that all extremist cells were being taken care of yet the games were invaded but what I can only deduce as an extremist cell! Zeus was a fool to ally himself with the Biblical Pantheon and anyone who believed that they could handle this tournament and its fuck up of a security team!" the goddess yelled.

"Well, Aphrodite, if you so kindly remember. Your pantheon volunteered some of your finest demigods to be part of the security forces," Inanna said as she sipped her tea.

"What was that?" Aphrodite retorted.

"ENOUGH!" Sirzechs yelled as his aura washed over the room, sending them into silence.

The gods all looked and saw not the happy go lucky siscon Sirzechs. No, the man that stood before them was the Maou Lucifer and the strongest devil alive. Sirzechs glared them all down, forcing them under the pressure of his power. He sighed.

"Look, fighting will get us nowhere so let's begin with any questions before we start with what we're going to do," Sirzechs said.

Indra crossed his arms.

"Do you have something to ask?" Serafall said as she looked at the Hindu God of Heaven.

"Yes. I do. Did you know that he was alive? Was his death just a cover-up for him to move around like you covered up Yahweh's death?" Indra asked.

"No, it wasn't," Sirzechs said. "Our pantheon genuinely believed him to have died during the Great War. Heaven can attest to this as the Archangel Raphael was the one who slew him in battle."

"Though it seems," Michael said. "That somehow, he survived."

"But the amount of time it must have taken him to recover must have been fairly long if he only resurfaced now," Shiva said.

"Quite," Ra said.

"Do you know why Issei boy was targeted?" Odin asked, stroking his beard.

"The Shevirat Ha-Kelim," Kali said. The other gods stiffened at the name that left Kali's lips.

"You all saw it during our match and before that," she said as she sipped her tea. "They're after the Shevirah which is currently wielded by Issei Hyoudou."

"Not necessarily. He's not the only wielder," Mammon said, speaking up. "There's one other."

"One other?" Sirzechs looked at his teacher strangely. Asmodeus and Belphegor had pale, grim looks on their faces.

"The other two wielders are dead," Kali said.

"No," Belphegor said. "It was just paranoia on my part but when Mammon and Asmodeus said they felt it too, I began to think that it was… _her_."

"It was," Mammon said. "I saw her."

Asmodeus and Belphegor's eyes widened. They didn't know this bit of information. They were just purely speculating whether or not it was _her_.

"So you did," Kali said. "This is… surprising."

"Wait? I'm confused," Inanna said, "Who is the other wielder? Lilith and Lucifer have been dead for centuries."

"No, Nee-sama is alive," Mammon said. "She's been watching everything from the sidelines or at least she was until she disappeared for a couple of years and resurfaced just recently."

"Lilith's alive? How long have you known she was?" Indra said, slamming his fist on the table.

"We've known for centuries that she was still about," Belphegor said.

"However, when she disappeared twelve to thirteen years ago without contact, we got worried. We searched for her, tried summoning her, even did a seance but we got no answer. In the end, we concluded that she was dead and told Asmodeus only to find out that… she's still kicking," Mammon said.

"So if Lilith is still alive, why does Beelzebub need Issei? Lilith has that power. Why does he need Issei?" Grayfia asked.

"I don't know," Mammon said.

"Did she say anything?" Asmodeus asked.

"No. She just said she's on the sidelines watching Beezelbub's plan play out," Mammon said. "That's all she said I swear on my name and title as Prime Demon."

"So that's the missing piece of this puzzle," Azrael said, placing her glass down. "What the hell does Beelzebub need Issei for and Lily for that matter?"

"That's right. Issei wasn't the only one taken," Sirzechs said. "Lily was also kidnapped."

"Who's Lily?" Odin asked.

"Lily is the little girl that the Hyoudous adopted after Issei found her on the streets," Grayfia said.

"But why would Beelzebub need her?" Parvati asked.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with the bizarre string of murders and kidnappings happening in the human world. Where one child goes missing and the entire family ends up dead?" Ajuka said this time.

The gods nodded, wondering where this was going. "All of those children were taken by Beelzebub and his forces from what we deduced. For what purpose, that we have yet to figure out but one thing is clear. Azazel's been doing research on them ever since he encountered Lily and this is what he discovered," Ajuka said, stepping aside for Azazel.

Azazel stood before them and summoned a file from his dimensional storage. He coughed as he opened it.

"Based on my findings, I can conclude that each of the children, including Issei and Lily share one thing in common," Azazel said. He snapped his fingers and the room went dark as a large rotating circle appeared. Three holographic beings appeared in the middle of the circle.

"Now, pay attention because this might get confusing. On the far right is a normal human being. In the middle, is a Nephilim whose data is based on Akeno Himejima prior to her reincarnation as Rias Gremory's Queen. The left is what I'm currently coining as Phages," Azazel said.

"Phages?" Sirzechs asked.

"Yes, I'll explain why I call them that. As you can see, there is a clear distinction between a human and a Nephilim. You can see that the human does not have that blue area present within their body," Azazel said, using a thin stick of light to gesture to the torsos of the two models.

"The human doesn't have angelic grace while the Nephilim does. If you look at the figure on the left, you can see that it's like the human model… however," Azazel tapped on the figure and a large violet area appeared in their torso.

"What is that?" Kali asked, narrowing her eyes. Irina and the others looked at the figure with the violet center with shocked eyes.

"Issei has that inside his body?" Rikka asked. "I know that… you know we were tracking them but..", she whispered to Irina and Mitsuki.

"That is what I'm calling… Twisted Grace or TG," Azazel said. "It's not natural and you won't find it even in Fallen Angels. But as you can see," he tapped the middle figure and the left figure and a number came up.

"It is about sixty-six percent similar to angelic grace by comparison. In addition, I did some other tests, comparing them to devils and the number I got from how similar the two energies were that they were almost nearly identical with it being ninety percent identical to the miasma of Devils," Azazel said.

"So these kids… they are devils and also angels?" Grayfia asked.

"Not necessarily. They're more akin… more akin to the Prime Demons. If I remember correctly, Nee-sama fashioned the Seven straight from her own grace before she made the Seventy Two Pillars and the other demon clans," Azazel said. "The Primes are fundamentally different in the sense that they're more unholy angels than anything in terms of energy signature. However, you can tell they're devils due to their wings and weaknesses to holy artifacts and anything associated with my Father. But signature wise, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart."

"So why are they called Phages?" Sirzechs asked.

"Oh right. The term Phages was something I got from biology. There exists a class of virus known as a bacteriophage that attaches itself to bacterial cells and uses them to replicate. That's similar to these people. The power was never inherent within them but rather, it was transplanted into them via unknown means, presumably by Beelzebub himself," Azazel said.

"So what?" Rias spoke up. Everyone turned to listen to her. "He's building an army or something?"

"Hmm, that's a possibility considering how many children he's taken over the past several months," Azrael said.

"How powerful do you think these kids could get?" Indra asked.

"My estimate? Well, that girl Issei adopted, with the proper training, she can become as powerful as any of the deities, seraphs, and devil in this room with of course, the sole exception of the Top Ten," Azazel said.

"As powerful as a God?" Aphrodite said in shock.

"Yes, as powerful as a God. I'm presuming that if that is his plan, he would have an army of Deity class beings at his beck and call as well as Issei, who if he could train this power to its full potential and combine it with the **[Boosted Gear]**, can probably fight a member on the lower end of the Top Ten or an equivalent being," Azazel said.

"This is bad. If this is what Beelzebub is truly going for, then we need to get Issei and those children back," Sirzechs said.

"But where?" Gabriel said. "Where would we even begin to look?"

"I don't know the answer to that," Sirzechs said.

"We should send DxD then," Shiva said. "Send them to scour the human world for them. Chances are, Beelzebub's operations are taking place there and not in Hell. After all, you would be able to detect it and the other gods that are here for the games would be able to detect it as well."

"My question is how did they even get in? We were all told that security was being tightened for the competitor's safety due to the high level of high profile beings here," Indra said.

"We've discovered how," Ajuka said.

"The Demon Naamah and her compatriot infiltrated the games by registering. They were able to fight their way to the finals where they summoned Beelzebub into the arena," Ajuka said.

"Look, we can argue all we want to all day but for now, Beelzebub is our top priority. We'll discuss things later at the Celestial Council Main Headquarters. For now, we'll deploy DxD to go scour the globe," Sirzechs said. His plan was met with a chorus of agreements. The gods were dismissed, leaving to return to their respective pantheons.

Rikka got up and walked out the door with Irina, Mitsuki, Ingvild, Bova, Mica, and Tohka hot on her heels. Vali Team and Gremory Peerage were following her.

"Rikka, where are you going?" Irina said, running up to her.

"I need to tell Oji what's going on. Maybe he can help us find Issei," Rikka said.

"Taki-sama…," Irina said. "Y- Yeah."

"Tohka? Mica?" Rikka glanced over at them and sent hand signals.

_Go notify your chapter head!_

_Got it_, Mica signed back.

"Where are you guys going?" Rias asked.

"I need to go talk to someone. Someone who I think can help," Rikka said.

"We'll go with you!" Rias said.

"No," Rikka stopped and turned to face them.

"No?" Vali said.

"I'm the only one who can get there so don't even try it. Besides, you're needed here. You're part of DxD right?" Rikka said.

"Y- Yeah," Rias said.

"Well, you have your place here and I have mine. But I promise you, I will find Issei," Rikka said. "I owe him and besides, it's my job."

"Your job?" Akeno asked.

"Mhm," Rikka turned around and activated her **Instantaneous Acceleration** and disappeared from their sight.

"Come on," Irina said, turning around. "We have work to do."

* * *

**Unknown Location, March 15, 2020, 2:00 AM**

* * *

Issei's eyes snapped open. He immediately got up and looked around. He was in an abandoned old classroom. The room looked like it could have been in better shape. The ceiling looked like it could cave at any minute, the wallpaper was peeling off exposing the drywall behind it. Parts of the drywall were removed allowing Issei to see the pipes and a couple of rats moving around. Issei walked out of the classroom and made his way around the hallway. Seeing the exit sign, Issei walked outside the building.

It was nighttime. The moon was out in full and cast an eerie glow across the abandoned school.

"Where the fuck?" Issei said. "Ddraig. Tiamat. Where are we?"

No response.

"Guys?"

Still no response. Issei tried to summon the **[Boosted Gear]** only to find… nothing had appeared on his left arm. He tried over and over again to summon the Sacred Gear only to fail over and over again.

"Damnit!" Issei said.

"_Mastema?"_ Issei called.

**(Yeah, I'm here)** she said.

"Oh thank fuck! Where are we and why can't I summon my gear?" Issei said.

**(I don't know. And I don't know the answer to that either)** Mastema said.

"Well then," Issei walked into the neighborhood. The houses were all dilapidated and the area had seen better days. Issei's hope increased when he saw a car sitting in the driveway. He ran up to it and found it to be rusted to all Hell. The tires were rotted and he couldn't even begin to think of how the engine block would look.

"Goddamnit," Issei said.

**(Have you tried teleporting away?)** Mastema said. Issei blinked and rubbed the back of his head. As he was about to form a transportation circle, Issei heard whimpering and crying coming from inside the house.

"There's someone here," Issei said.

**(So? Just go)** Mastema said.

"What if they're hurt?" Issei asked.

**(But what if you get hurt?)** she retorted. Issei ignored her and ran up to the door. Using his enhanced strength, he broke the door down, practically blasting it to smithereens. Issei stepped inside the dark house and followed the sound of the crying. The house Issei was in was a quaint two story household. Faded photos of a family were lined up against the walls as the wallpaper peeled off, revealing the rat and cockroach infested walls.

Issei summoned a small red light in the palm of his hand as he crept quietly towards the noise.

There in the center of the living room was Lily. She was crying and whimpering in fetal position on the floor, mumbling "Nii, Nee, A-nee, save me…"

Issei immediately ran over and knelt next to her.

"Lil!" Issei said, tapping her. Lily jolted from her spot and backpedaled away. Her eyes widened when she saw Issei and threw herself into his arms. Issei smiled as he hugged the little girl back, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Nii!" Lily said.

"Lily, I'm so glad you're okay. I heard you got taken by," Issei was interrupted.

"The bad people came to take me," Lily said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"I know… they got me too. Come on. Let's get out of here," Issei said, picking her up. He attempted to form a transportation circle underneath them. A circle appeared only to fizzle and fade away only mere seconds later.

"Huh?" Issei tried again only for the same result to occur.

**(Looks like you're trapped. The entire town must be spatial locked)** Mastema said. She manifested in her spirit form in front of Issei, visible only to him.

**(You'll have to get out of here the old fashioned way)** Mastema said. **(But… it looks like you have company)**

"Shit. Lily, I want you to stay behind me," Issei said, standing up. He placed her on the ground and went in front of her. "Stay on me okay?"

She nodded meekly as she held onto his pant leg. Issei formed a small sword out of the Power of Destruction and held it in front of him. The two walked out of the house to see a group of people standing outside. He saw four other people come out. A woman with black hair and grey eyes, a man with black hair and brown eyes, another man with brown hair and violet eyes, and a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes all walked out of the bushes. Most of them seemed to be around their age with the two in front being slightly older.

"Woah! Wait, buddy! We're harmless!" the brown-haired man said.

"Name. Now," Issei said, pointing his sword.

"L- Lance. Lance McCarthy!" he said. "The Asian guy is Keon Joon. He's from Korea I think. The girl is Mary Devereux, she's the daughter of some mayor in France. The blonde is Jennifer Smith from the US."

"Issei. Just Issei. And this is my little sister," Issei said, moving his leg a little to reveal Lily.

"A little girl," Mary said in a french accent.

"How'd you get here?" Keon asked.

Issei was taken aback at the question. What should he tell them? They were all a part of the supernatural now with whatever Beelzebub had planned so he might as well be truthful with them.

"I was uh taken by… some people," Issei said.

"The bad people," Lily added.

"Bad people? Like a terrorist organization?" Jennifer asked.

"Something like that," Issei said.

**(In the end, you caved)** Mastema said.

Issei suddenly went on guard as he looked up at a massive dark cloud in the sky. A voice was then heard in all their heads.

"Welcome! I see you've all met. My name is Beelzebub and I am the one who put you here. You are all here because you all have a special talent making you all very special children," the voice said.

Issei stiffened and put his arm protectively in front of Lily. The moon was blocked out by dark clouds as they moved across the sky and seemingly covered the entirety of the Earth's atmosphere.

"Beelzebub," Issei said.

"Hello there, Issei," Beelzebub's voice said.

"You sick fuck let us go!" Issei said.

"I will. I will. Don't worry," he said.

Issei narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe that for a second. What's the catch?" Issei asked.

"Hmm. Smart. The catch is… only one of you can get out. Which means, the rest of you must die. I call it… my own personal Hunger Games minus the districts," Beelzebub said.

Everyone's eyes widened at his declaration. The very idea of making them all kill each other for survival, especially since there was someone as young as Lily was absolutely horrendous. It made Issei sick to his stomach.

"Beelzebub, you sick bastard!" Issei said.

"Good. Fan that fire in your belly, Issei. You'll need it. Anyway, let's get it onto the rules," Beelzebub said.

"Rule 1: No Sacred Gears!

"Rule 2: No one may leave the town! Anyone caught trying to leave will be brutally killed.

"Rule 3: Only one person can live. In order to survive, everyone else must die! Any questions? None? Great! I do have one question. Are you all as excited as I am?" he asked.

They all remained silent, rooted to their spots in fear and horror. Issei hugged Lily protectively, shielding her from the sight of the others.

"Well then, let the games begin!" Beelzebub said. His voice faded and the clouds disappeared.

"This is just some sick joke right?" Jennifer asked. "Right?" she asked. Everyone seemed unsure. "I have to leave. I'm supposed to be headed to Cancun with my boyfriend!"

"Well, let's just leave then," Lance said.

"I'm pretty sure he just said we couldn't leave," Keon said. Jennifer ignored him.

"Whatever. I'm leaving," she said as she walked away.

"Should we stop her?" Mary asked them.

"No. If the lass wants ta leave then let her," Lance said, waving off her concern.

Jennifer walked away from the group with Issei looking at her retreating back. Issei held on to Lily as he began to walk down the street. Lance noticed that he was leaving and looked over.

"Where are you goin?" he asked.

"To look for supplies. This town may be abandoned but there has to be some animals or something we can hunt for food," Issei said. The others glanced at each other and followed him. They searched for a few hours and happened upon a store. Issei shattered the windows and walked inside. He was pleasantly surprised and instantly suspicious to find such a trove of fresh food.

"Food. And it looks fresh," Keon said.

"Wait… it might be a trap," Issei said.

"How would you know? In fact, how do you know that guy who took us anyway?" Keon asked.

"I've run into him before," Issei said.

"Whatever, I'm eating," Keon said.

"...," Issei stood by as Keon opened a bag of chips and began to eat. Lance was more hesitant and stood off next to Issei as Mary ran off to eat.

"Nii," Lily said, tugging on his pant leg.

"Hmm?" Issei looked down at her.

"Hungry," she said.

Issei sighed.

"_Mastema. Will poison affect us?_" Issei asked.

**(No. Mundane poisons have no effect on supernatural beings. But be careful. Even if I don't sense any poisons, supernatural or mundane, I suggest tasting it yourself before giving some to Lily)** Mastema said.

Issei nodded and led Lily into the store.

"So," Issei turned to see Lance standing behind him, inspecting an apple.

"What?" Issei asked.

"You seem to know this guy. Any idea why we're all here?" Lance asked.

"We all have… powers," Issei said. "Beelzebub is a demon. A well-known one in the Supernatural World. The world of Gods, Angels, Demons, and Monsters."

"Powers?" Lance asked.

"Yeah. This guy gave us all powers or something when we were all babies or probably while our moms were pregnant or something," Issei said as he sniffed an apple. He bit into it and deduced there was no poison. He handed the apple to Lily, who began to nibble on it.

As they all started to eat, an ear-shattering scream rang throughout the entire town. Issei and Lance looked at each other. Issei grabbed Lily as he and Lance ran towards the source of the screaming.

They made their way to the outer regions of town and found something horrifying. Jennifer's mutilated body was found on the ground. Her arm was hanging on a tree. Her torso was ripped open with her intestines splayed out all over the ground. Her head was hanging from one of an old windmill with her face frozen in horror.

"Lily, cover your eyes," Issei said. The little girl nodded and covered her eyes.

Issei walked over to her torso and put his hand over the torso.

"Looks like… dog bites?" Issei said.

"Look… prints," Lance said.

"Definitely a dog," Issei said.

Mary and Keon ran up to them. Mary placed her hands on her mouth as she saw Jennifer's mutilated corpse.

"What the fuck?" Keon said.

"She's being used as an example," Issei said.

"This shit… poor girl," Lance said.

"We have to find a way to get out of here," Issei said.

"But how?" Lance asked.

"I can teleport but something in this town is keeping me from doing it. We need to find it," Issei said.

"But what are we looking for?" Mary asked.

"I don't know but we need to find it fast or…," Issei said, looking at Jennifer's body. The others looked grim as Mary covered Lily's eyes.

To Beelzebub, this was all a game, however, they knew what it really was.

"This isn't a game," Lance said. The others turned to him and he looked at them with a blank expression.

"He's culling us."

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Rhongomyniad: Yup. I can personally vouch that a lot of people in the Philippines loves Jollibee and I had Jollibee that day so it was a contributing factor. I was like "Hmmm, traditional Filipino food like Adobo, Dinuguan, Sisig, and Kare-Kare... nooo let's go with Jollibee!" It's sort of a national treasure only if that national treasure was chicken. And thank you. I know she's watching over me.**

**18Andrew: Well, Issei's not weak. It's just he didn't get a chance to get to his full power before their fight was interrupted. And don't forget, Rias trained for the games and attained a new form.**

**AnimeFan0216: Heh... I had a bucket of spicy Chickenjoy that day and decided to let the ORC try it. And you're spot on with your deduction of Lilith. She won't interfere unless Issei gets hurt.**

* * *

**First off, I really appreciate all the comments about my grandmother and her passing. That being said, thank you all again for your concern. But writing is my way of... coping I guess. Rest assured, I've had time to think about it and I feel like she wouldn't want me to be depressed. I know my grandmother will always be watching over me and I can only hope that she and my grandfather (they're together again at least) keep watching over me. Sorry if I went off on a tangent. **

**Anyhoozles, prepare thyself! You know what chapter comes next and I warn you now! Anyway, read! Stay safe, wash your damn hands, don't be an idiot, respect all people and races, don't be a Karen, and remember to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours~!**


	29. My Sister's Keeper

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

**Y'all knew this was happening.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Unknown Location, March 15, 2020, 6:35 AM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 6 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Issei sighed as he flipped a piece of spam. It had been two hours since they had found Jennifer dead. Torn to pieces by a pack of… whatever was running around at the edge of this town. Lily sat next to his foot on the floor as Issei cooked, playing with a small snowbird.

Snowbird. Lily had apparently been manifesting and practicing her powers behind his back. Not that he minded. He assumed that Grayfia had been the one teaching her over the course of the games considering that they had similar forms of magic. He was proud. She'll be powerful one day.

"Nii," Lily tugged on his pants. He looked down and smiled. He flipped the spam and before levitating it and giving it to her. He gently lowered it in front of her.

"Careful, it's hot," Issei said. She nodded and blew a light gust of icy wind to cool it. She snatched it from his mental grip and began to nibble on it.

"You her brother?"

Issei turned around to see Lance walking over to him. He smiled and levitated a spam over to him which he accepted gratefully.

"Yeah. We adopted her. It was the best choice my family ever made," Issei said.

"So is she your only?" Lance asked.

"No. I have two other sisters. My parents have complications with bearing children so me and my twin are the only biological children in our family. I have two adopted sisters. Her and another one who's a few months younger than me," he said.

"Must be tough having three sisters," Lance said.

"It is… they're annoying. Clingy. Sometimes, we don't get along," Issei said. Lily pouted and slapped his leg, causing him to chuckle. He smiled at her.

"But it's fun. I wouldn't trade them for the world," Issei said, petting her head.

Lily continued to pout and took a big bite out of her spam.

"So, what's the deal with this? You seem to know more about this than you let on," Lance said.

Issei looked at the scot and inwardly cringed underneath his analytical stare. This man was smart. Extremely so and that's what made Issei wary of him. But since they were currently all fighting to get out, he decided to give this man the benefit of the doubt and tell him anyway.

"In this world, Gods, Monsters, Heroes, Devils, and Angels exist. Magic exists. However, humans don't know about it since the Gods and the other supernatural beings decided to retreat out of human view, following an event known as the Great War. A war between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels," Issei said.

Issei paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should let this next part spill. He often wondered what would happen if the rest of the world found out that the Biblical God was dead. He imagined the chaos it would bring as the largest religion in the world collapsed alongside its counterparts.

"So you were telling me that there was a war?" Lance said, snapping Issei out of his reverie.

"Oh right. Sorry about that. A couple of centuries back, there was a war that Heaven, Hell, and a group of angels that were cast from Heaven fought in. The war threatened to rip everything apart and destroy the world but it stopped, thankfully before it ended," Issei said. "Because of this war, a lot of lives were lost on all three sides. The Fallen Angels were the first to pull out since they lost a staggering amount of life. In the end, Heaven and Hell discussed terms to end the war and that's it. A lot of things happened after. To replenish their populations and due to their low fertility rates, the Devils created a device called Evil Pieces to repopulate their race while the Angels, with the help of the Devils, created something called Brave Saints to create new Angels from other species."

"So they enslave other races?" Lance asked.

"Most don't. Most know the precarious situation that their races are but some are crazy enough to take the risk," Issei said.

"I see," Lance said, swallowing his spam. "Must suck."

"Not all the time. I met some of the most amazing people since I entered and I guess that I don't regret being dragged into a world where there's a bunch of people single-handedly destroying an entire country," Issei said.

"Really?" Lance said.

"What about you?" Issei asked.

"I… was born and raised in Scotland. I have a younger sister who has severe hemophilia so she's constantly on medication on the time. Our dad walked out on us when my sister turned eight which left me and my mother to raise my sister," Lance said.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry about-," Issei started but was interrupted.

"No, no, it's fine. I… can do without him. He never wanted us anyway," Lance said.

"Jesus, do you want to keep going?" Issei asked.

"It's alright. I can keep going. Just before I was taken I think, my sister suffered a hemorrhage and she was sent to ICU. I want to get out of here so I can go check on her," Lance said.

"I see. Don't worry, Lance. I'll do whatever it takes to help you get out of here. To help us all get out of here," Issei said.

"I'll be counting on it," Lance said.

* * *

Beelzebub sat in the air, watching over his little subjects eat. He needed to get this game moving along. By the end of this day, he would have his victor. He would have the one he needed in order to move forward with his plan. The one he wanted to win the most. The one with the most potential.

"So, how is your little culling going?"

Beelzebub turned around to see his older sister standing behind him. Her poisonous yellow eyes sent shivers of fear crawling down his spine but he kept his composure as she sat next to him. There was a time when those eyes made him feel safe and loved but now, with the way she is currently. He could taste the hate. He could taste the bitterness and revulsion she had for this world and what it had done to her. What it did to their family. He suspected it had all began at the end of the Great War with the news of their mother's death.

_Well… but she doesn't need to know that now. Or she probably does. She always seems to know_, Beelzebub thought as he stared at his sister, her snow-white hair flowing in the gentle spring breeze.

"It's slow. The Red Dragon has united them all together for now. But that won't last. Remember our survivor?" Beelzebub said.

"Remember our deal," she said.

"Yeah, he survives. I'll make sure to pull him out before he gets killed," Beelzebub said.

"I have one more attachment," she said.

"You always do," Beelzebub said.

"Please. This is the last one!" she said indignantly. This was another quirk that surfaced from time to time. Her persistence. But it was these moments that made Beelzebub feel calm. For once, his sister didn't give off the feeling of the vilest existence on the planet.

"Fine, who?" Beelzebub sighed.

"That little redhead. Issei-chan seems to be highly attached to her. Let her live," she said.

"Is that all? I had doubts about the child winning anyway," Beelzebub said.

"Yes, that's all," she said. She brushed her pants off and got up. As she was about to leave, she heard Beelzebub speak.

"Are you ever going to tell him?" he asked.

"No. I prefer for him, not to know…," she said.

"Not even if… it ends up being him?" Beelzebub asked.

"I'll… I'll cross that bridge when I get there," she said. With that, she vanished, leaving Beelzebub to his thoughts as he focused his attention back on the games, watching as Issei flew out of the abandoned grocery store.

* * *

"Hmmm," Issei said as he hovered several dozen feet in the air. He got a good look at the town and closed his eyes.

"_Mastema, can you sense anything?"_ Issei asked.

**(Hmmm, there's a massive barrier around town outfitted with suppression sigils and spatio-temporal lock sigils. There are Divine Anti-Presence Sigils as well as Profane Anti-Presence Sigils)** Mastema said.

"Hmmm, I feel a bunch of other things there as well. This town is swarming with them," Issei said as he felt several signatures moving rapidly throughout portions of the town.

Issei sighed. It looks like he needed to come up with a plan in order to get them out of town. But he needed to take down the barrier first. The barrier would no doubt alert Beelzebub however, Issei would be able to get them out by the time he noticed. With the barrier down, Issei would be able to teleport to Hell and get them and their families the safety and protection they needed.

He flew down and landed in front of the store and walked inside. Keon and Mary were sitting next to each other with Mary trying to stay awake. Lance was sitting with his back against one of the shelves. Lily was standing at the front, waiting for him patiently. The minute he landed, Lily ran over to him, causing Issei to smile. He ruffled her hair and led her back inside.

Lance got up as soon as he saw Issei and ran over. Keon, noticing Lance's sudden movement, shook Mary awake and the two got up and walked over.

"So?" Lance asked.

"There's a massive barrier around town that's keeping us locked in here. In order to get out, we need to take it down," Issei said.

"How?" Keon asked.

"Barriers that are cast like this need something to maintain it. Usually, when in combat, barriers are maintained by mages that cast it by pouring their power into the barrier. However, in a situation like this, the barrier would most likely be maintained by an anchor that's inside the barrier as to prevent the other factions from finding it," Issei said, remembering some of the lessons Akeno taught him when they were training for their first-ever Rating Game.

"So all we have to do is find the anchor and destroy the barrier is that correct?" Lance asked.

Issei nodded.

"However, we'll need to move under the cover of night. There are several signatures around town and I don't think they're friendly. They might be other people like us," Issei said.

"Wait, if they're like us, shouldn't we help them get out?" Mary asked.

"We don't know if they're friendly. What if they're taking Beelzebub's rule seriously and are out to kill us? What if they're the ones that did this to Jennifer?" Lance said.

"But-!" Mary objected.

"No, Lance is right. We don't know if they're friendly," Keon said.

"Right. So we're moving out when it's darker just to be safe," Issei said. He looked out of the grocery store. "Get some rest, you guys."

"Yeah," Lance said. He retreated out of view and into a shadier part of the grocery store, sitting down and closing his eyes.

Issei walked over to another corner of the store with Lily and sat down. The little girl sat next to him and leaned against his arm. Issei looked at her sadly. She looked so scared and tired. He wrapped his arm around her and lulled her to sleep gently before fatigue finally caught up with Issei and he fell asleep.

* * *

**Kegon Falls, 10:45 AM**

* * *

"This is hopeless!" Irina said, punching her desk. The other agents jumped at the sound of her fist denting the metal. Mitsuki, Ingvild, and Rikka glanced over at her.

"Look, we need to stay calm. DxD is on the lookout for him. The other branches are on the lookout for him. There's no need to stress. I know you're worried but we will find him soon," Rikka said.

"I know it's just… hours of scouring the globe and what? Nothing?" Irina said.

"Let's just hope that Tohka and Mica were able to find something or one of the factions," Ingvild said.

"They might be but then again, this place could be heavily warded. The Four Maou have sent out a declaration for all Devil Peerages to scour the entirety of the First Level Gehenna for any sign of Issei or the demons," Mitsuki said.

Ingvild's CC suddenly began to flash. She quickly answered it and a hologram of Tohka and Mica were projected in front of them, alongside Eric and Lisa.

"Eric! Lisa!" Mitsuki said.

"Hey! Irina and Mitsuki. Long time no see," Eric said.

"It's been a while. Sorry if we missed your games but we were busy on our end," Lisa said.

"Busy? What for?" Ingvild asked.

"Nevermind that for now," Irina said, interrupting Lisa before she could answer. "Did you find Issei and Lily?"

"That's actually part of why we were busy," Eric said.

"Huh?" the four of them looked at Eric intensely.

"Ever since Gremory was found to be alive, something that's impossible by the way, we've been keeping an eye on the kids. Every detail about the attacks and we've managed to acquire enough information to determine this. Beelzebub is not working alone and he certainly doesn't just have Gremory," Eric said.

"We know. We ran into two of them. Naamah and a demon named Apollyon," Irina said.

"Apollyon… any relationship to the Abaddon Clan?" Lisa asked.

"No. She's a Gremory," Rikka said. "She has the Power of Sight."

"There's no indication of any rogue Gremories. All Gremories have been accounted for even members of the branch families," Eric said.

"We'll figure that out later, for now, we need to tell you why we called," Tohka said.

"Right now, I've just sent you a map of the United States. Check your AS," Mica said.

They nodded and projected a hardlight map of the Continental US.

"Right so what are we looking for?" Irina asked.

"We're getting to that. Now, these red x's are all the locations of all the known 'Phages' as Azazel has taken to calling them. We're sticking to calling them Special Children but anyway, that's what the red is for," Tohka said.

"I don't see it. Is there supposed to be a pattern?" Mitsuki asked.

"There is," Ingvild said. "These x's are all the locations where there have been sightings of demonic activity up until 2013."

"Yes and all the demonic activity were, wait for it! Deals," Lisa said.

"Deals?" Irina asked.

"Devils, as you know, work in a sort of tit for tat manner. I do this and get this in exchange. While it doesn't look that way now, the contracts benefit both sides more equally than it did in the past," Eric said.

"How did Devils do deals in the past?" Mitsuki asked.

"In the past, Devils were able to perform great feats that can be described as miracles all through the power of the human soul. You can see where I'm going with this?" Eric said.

"Humans willingly offered their souls in exchange for money, wealth, power, fame, etc.," Mitsuki said. "But that can't be right. The Original Lucifer ended the soul practice."

"On paper she did. But…," Lisa said.

"But?" Irina pressed.

"During the Great War, Lucifer was desperate. Her children were dying so she needed a new source of manpower. Human souls," Lisa said. "So she created a division of demons that have been done away with by the current Maou. The Faustian Division. They would go to the human world and grant wishes in exchange for the user's soul. After ten years, the wisher would be killed by the devil that granted the wish and their soul would be sent to Be'er Shacath to be transformed into a different type of demon known as Spectra. Anyway, I'm getting off track. Point is, these mothers all sold their souls in exchange for something, however, some of the children are over twenty years of age which doesn't add up. The deal must have offered something else and these children are the key to that. Now, we have no way of tracking teleportation that's nigh-instantaneous as it leaves a very brief signal, unlike Transportation Circles. So we resorted to satellite imagery to track them and this is what we found."

Rikka and Ingvild's eyes widened when they saw it. Five dots were marked on the map, each the location of a church or abandoned church.

"I don't get it," Irina said.

"I'm going to draw the lines so you can see what we mean," Lisa said. Irina's eyes slowly grew wide when she saw it. A Pentagram. Not just any normal pentagram. If anyone were to do this, it would be for one thing. They were creating a large Profane Sigil. More specifically…

"A Solomon's Key," Irina whispered.

"A Solomon's Key yes. The railways were used to connect the churches in such a manner. But we don't even know its purpose of why it was built," Eric said.

"It's fine. Anything else?" Rikka asked.

"Right, we also found this. About 100 miles north of that. This town started giving us interference," Tohka said.

"Interference?" Mitsuki asked.

"We can't look into it. Something's distorting the quality of the image or blacking out our screens," Eric said.

"He's there," Irina said.

"Huh?" they all looked at her.

"That's where Issei is," Irina said.

"But that looks so blatantly obvious!" Mitsuki said.

"I know… it's why it was chosen. No one would ever suspect," Rikka said.

"Right. Let's go notify Rias's peerage. We'll be going out with them there," Irina said.

"Irina, wait," Lisa said.

"?" Irina turned around.

"Before you go, we need you to drop off a message at the Maou's office, preferably Maou Lucifer. My father and the other members of the Ten believe that it's time we contacted your pantheon," Lisa said.

"The Old Man finally decided to reveal himself?" Rikka asked.

Lisa nodded.

"Right. I'll go," Irina said.

"We'll meet you back at the house with the others," Rikka said. Irina nodded and ran out of the Data Room and towards the Hangar Bay.

* * *

_Issei woke up suddenly. He no longer felt Lily's weight on his side and looked down. She was gone. He got up and began to look around._

"_LILY!" Issei yelled. No response. When he got to the front, he noticed that none of the others were there too. Lance wasn't in his spot. Mary and Keon weren't there either._

"_Come on guys! This isn't funny!" Issei said._

_Issei walked around the store, trying to find them. Horrible scenarios popped up in his head as worry began to overtake his heart._

"_Come on, where could they have gone?" Issei asked._

"_Where indeed?" _

_Issei whirled around and saw Beelzebub standing behind him with a smirk on his face. Issei glared at him with all the hatred he could muster and threw a punch at Beelzebub. His eyes widened when his fist fazed through Beelzebub as if he was never there. Issei stumbled through his form and turned around to see the demon's infuriating smirk._

"_Wow, what a scary look… This is a dream, kid. It's why you can't hit me. I'm not here. I'm just projecting my image in your head. Come, we need to talk," Beelzebub said, gesturing for Issei to follow him._

_The two exited the grocery store and walked down the street where Issei kept staring daggers at the back of Beelzebub's head._

"_You seem awfully quiet. I hope it's not my breath. I just had some shrimp and I forgot to brush my teeth on my way over to your dream," Beelzebub said._

_Issei remained quiet, opting to glare at Beelzebub even harder._

"_What a scary face… I hope you keep that fire in your belly fanned Issei. I'm going to need it," Beelzebub said._

"_I'm going to kill you. I'm going to rip you apart and strangle you with your own entrails," Issei growled._

"_Well, when you wake up, be sure to give it your best shot," Beelzebub said._

_Issei huffed and looked away._

"_Where are we anyway?" Issei asked._

"_Hmm, I'd worry less about where I am and more about how you'll survive," the demon answered._

"_It's because of your little culling right?" Issei asked._

"_Correct," Beelzebub said._

"_Why? Why are you making people like me kill each other?" Issei asked._

"_Because I need forces. Troops if you will. There's a storm coming, Issei. A storm that will upheave the order of everything you know," Beelzebub said._

"_Wait, you said forces. If you want forces, why are you making us kill each other or trying to?" Issei asked._

_Beelzebub smirked._

"_It's because I don't need soldiers. I already have an army. An army that's ready to move out and strike without the other pantheons knowing. And all it's missing is a leader," Beelzebub said._

"_A leader?" Issei asked._

"_My general. The one who will lead my armies against the gods," Beelzebub said. "And I have to say, I have a lot of faith in your batch."_

"_My batch? Wait… what happened to the survivor of the other batches?" Issei asked._

"_What survivors?" Beelzebub asked._

_Issei's eyes widened._

"_You sick bastard! They were all just kids!" Issei yelled._

"_They weren't all kids. Some were adults," Beelzebub said._

"_You just watched a bunch of kids and adults kill each other and for what? Your perfect general?" Issei said._

"_Now now. You need to relax. Forget about them. They were weak. It's why they died. But you? __You're smart, strong, well-trained thanks to your time as a devil," Beelzebub said. "You'd be perfect for this role."_

"_What about the others? Do you really expect me to kill them?" Issei growled._

"_Oh, I do. If you want to guarantee the survival of little Lily, you'll have to," Beelzebub said._

_Issei went silent. He looked at Beelzebub and a question popped into his head. How did Beelzebub know that Issei or any of the others had these powers? Everything about this just seemed off. If he knew, why did he wait so long to get them?_

"_Why?" Issei asked._

"_It's always a why with you. What is it this time?" Beelzebub asked._

"_Why do I have these powers? Why does Lily have these powers?" Issei asked._

"_You really want to know?" Beelzebub said, tilting his head slightly._

_Issei nodded._

"_Well, I guess I'll show you but you have to remain quiet about this. I like you so I'll get you the inside scoop on the origin story of you special children. You specifically," Beelzebub said._

_Issei stiffened as Beelzebub snapped his fingers. The world around Issei warped and distorted as he found himself standing in his bedroom. Well to be more specific, it was the bedroom that his parents used as a nursery for him and his twin sister. He recognized it from the various baby pictures of him and his twin. _

"_Nostalgic isn't it. Have you forgotten the sight of your old house?" Beelzebub asked._

"_We're not friends," Issei said, taking in the scene of his old house. His gaze traveled down to two cribs that each held a baby. He walked over to the cribs and smiled, seeing the sleeping form of his infantile self and the infant version of his twin sister. Back when they were babies, they were nearly impossible to tell apart but his parents could always tell who was who._

"_And look. Our guest of honor has arrived," Beelzebub said. Issei turned around and saw his mother walking into the room. Only, her eyes were different. A cold smile appeared on his mother's face as she hovered over his crib. Baby Issei and baby Mitsuki started to cry hysterically as a fear-inducing aura began to leak from his mother's body. Her yellow eyes looked maliciously down on him. She pulled out a vial of blood from her sleeve and uncorked it. She gently opened baby Issei's mouth and slowly poured the entire vial into his mouth._

_Issei felt like he was going to throw up. His own mother was feeding him blood. And for what?_

"_More nutritious than mother's milk," Beelzebub said._

"_W- What the hell is my mom doing to me?" Issei asked._

"_Well… that might look like your mommy but for now, she's being occupied by yours truly as their personal Gundam," Beelzebub said. "See I chose that night because… your parents' exorcist friends might have sensed me entering their house. I needed to take every precaution possible and that night was the night your girlfriend's parents were on a date night."_

"_Is that how…?" Issei asked._

"_Yup," Beelzebub replied._

"_So I have… demon blood running through me? What even am I?" Issei asked._

"_You're still what you are after your pieces were removed. A humanoid dragon but now… you have the same energy as well… me and the other demons," Beelzebub said. "But I never expected that you would be the one to awaken the Shevirat Ha-Kelim. I honestly expected someone else."_

"_Why me?" Issei asked. "Me and my sister are more or less evenly matched and we both possessed Longinus gear so why just me?"_

"_Luck of the draw? Screwed over by fate? Either way, you were chosen because I ran out of blood to give. She only gave me so many vials," Beelzebub said._

"_She?" Issei asked._

"_Ha-Satan. The current Ha-Satan," Beelzebub said._

"_There is no current Ha-Satan. The Maou and the other Prime Demons said that there's been no Ha-Satan since the end of the Great War," Issei said._

"_And that's where you're wrong. You should be afraid of her… very," Beelzebub said, his eyes lingering on Issei a bit longer._

_Or maybe not, after all, Grandfather forbid what she sees in you, Beelzebub added as an afterthought._

"_Well, it looks like we've gone over the time," Beelzebub said._

"_Wait! I still have some things I need to know!" Issei yelled._

"_Sorry! But that's all for now," Beelzebub said, snapping his fingers._

_Issei's entire dream world faded away as Beelzebub forcing him awake._

* * *

Issei's eyes snapped open as he jolted forward. He panted heavily and saw Lily stirring next to him. She yawned before hugging his waist and falling back asleep. Issei calmed down considerably at the sight of her and petted her head. That dream he had just now. Was it all real? Did he really talk to Beelzebub? He looked out the window and saw that the sun was past its apex in the sky. It was a few hours past noon. Three if he had to guess.

"We gotta start moving," Issei said. He shook Lily awake. Lily woke up and got to her feet, grabbing her brother's hand. Issei and Lily walked back to the front of the store where he saw Mary waiting for him.

"Where's Lance and Keon?" Issei asked.

"I don't know. I think they went to go to the bathroom or get some firewood," Mary said.

"Firewood? We're in a grocery store with things we can burn," Issei said.

"That's what I said but Lance said that he needed Keon's help with getting supplies," Mary said.

"Hey!" the three looked up and saw Lance running towards them. He slowed down and placed his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

"Woah. What happened?" Issei asked, noticing his fatigue.

"Some… survivors. Tried to attack me," Lance said. His voice began to crack as he said the next part.

"Keon… he tried to save me but," Lance trailed off.

Mary covered her mouth in horror. "Oh god," Mary said.

Issei was shocked. The other survivors killed Keon. But then he remembered something from his conversation with Beelzebub, there were no survivors from what Beelzebub implied so how did Keon get killed by another survivor let alone a group of them.

"We have to get going now. We need to find that anchor and break it," Lance said.

Issei nodded as Lance ran off. Mary began to run but stopped when Issei grabbed her arm.

"Wait… be careful of Lance. Something's not right," Issei said. Mary looked at him suspiciously and nodded hesitantly. The two followed after Lance as they walked down the street.

"So Issei. Where would the anchor be kept?" Lance asked.

"Somewhere inconspicuous and well-guarded," Issei said.

"Like?" Lance asked.

"I don't know," Issei said.

"Let's keep looking," Mary said, getting in between them.

"So we'll find Issei in the middle of nowhere?" Vali asked as they walked through the woods.

"It's a general area," Irina said.

"Where did you even get the lead from?" Rias asked.

"A friend of mine," Rikka said. "She knows scrying magic and we gave her some of Issei's hair?"

"His hair?" Akeno said.

"Uh yeah. Older forms of scrying magic require something from the target," Ingvild said.

Tohka and Mica slapped their foreheads while Mitsuki shook her head. Bova just looked confused at the entire situation.

"Come on, let's take to the air. We'll cover more ground that way," Irina said, spreading her wings. The group nodded and flew after her.

The sun hung low in the sky as the light began to fade away. Issei became warier as he glanced at Lance discreetly. He was still uncomfortable with that survivor statement earlier but then again, Beelzebub could be lying. Trying to distract himself, Issei extended his senses to try and find any odd forms of energy. As he closed his eyes, he remembered that Mastema was still with him.

"_Hey Mastema, do you know the location of the anchor or where the barrier is originating from?"_ Issei asked.

**(Well, just a general area. It's northeast of you)** Mastema said.

"_Northeast? Right,_" Issei said.

"Guys, I think I can sense something," Mary said.

"The anchor?" Lance asked.

"No, but I think it's where it is if that's where the massive amount of… things are? I don't know," Mary said.

_Her powers are coming out_, Issei thought.

"Which way?" Issei asked. Mary pointed in the direction Mastema had pointed him in.

"Northeast huh," Lance said.

"Come on," Lance said.

"Can you keep walking Lily?" Issei asked. She nodded, not wanting to feel useless. Issei smiled and the three followed after Lance.

* * *

Kuroka and Koneko hopped from tree to tree, following after Mitsuki. The three landed on a branch.

Koneko looked at Mitsuki's back as she stopped and placed her hand against the tree. She looked at her sister, who was staring ahead blankly. She felt the pain her sister did and the pain her friend felt. The raw agony of a sibling losing a sibling and a lover losing a lover.

"Nee-sama, are you okay?" Koneko asked.

"I'm fine. Let's just go find Issei," Kuroka said. She leaped towards another branch and took off. As Koneko went to go follow her, Mitsuki stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You need to tell her what happened," Mitsuki said.

Koneko shook underneath Mitsuki's hand.

"I know but I don't think I'm ready to see how she'll react to what… I was made to do," Koneko said.

"I'm sure she'll understand. She's your sister after all. Rias's parents and brother were disappointed but they didn't disown her and acknowledged that there other forces at play. You'll be fine," Mitsuki said.

"Thanks," Koneko said, feeling a bit better.

"You're welcome because trust me, I know what it's like to keep secrets from your siblings," Mitsuki said, pulling out a small sun pendant from inside her jacket. It shined brightly in the setting sun.

* * *

The four walked into a small neighborhood that was very similar to the one that he had found himself in. Issei grimaced and covered Lily's eye when he saw the skeletal remains of a small child lying on the sidewalk. Mary looked away upon seeing that the skull had been brutally caved in.

"That's… just disgusting," Mary said. "What kind of monster forces children to kill each other?"

"I don't know," Issei said.

**(I think we're getting closer)** Mastema said.

"_Where?_" Issei asked.

**(That church I believe)** Mastema said as she placed a translucent finger on her chin. Issei glanced at the ruined church.

"I think it's the church," Issei said.

Lance and Mary nodded and followed after Issei. He glanced down at Lily, who looked at him curiously. He leaned her down and began to whisper in her ear.

"_When I say run, run,_" Issei said.

Lily looked at him curiously and nodded.

Issei slowly pushed the door opened to reveal an empty church. In the middle of the church was a small glowing violet orb.

"There it is," Issei said.

"So that's it huh?" Lance said as he clenched his fist. A small coating of dark energy began to manifest on Lance's hand. Issei's eye narrowed.

Mary walked up to Issei and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Let's break it and get out of here," Mary said.

"I'm sorry but," Lance said. "Only one of us can survive from now on."

Lance dashed towards Mary and prepared to cave her skull in when Issei appeared in front of him and caught his fist.

"TAKE LILY AND RUN! MARY, GRAB THE ORB AND SMASH IT!" Issei yelled as he threw Lance back. Mary nodded and grabbed a scared Lily and ran toward the orb. As she neared it, a barrier appeared in front of the sphere and knocked her back. She and Lily were sent sprawling out onto the floor.

Mary got to her feet.

"Issei! There's another barrier!" Mary said.

"Tch!" Issei kicked Lance back, sending him crashing into a pew. Issei raised his hand and fired a highly concentrated sphere of destruction at the barrier. The barrier shook underneath the force of Issei's attack.

"HAAAH!" Issei poured more power into the orb, causing it to exert more force on the barrier.

Lance got up and ran towards Issei with a small shadow dagger in his hand.

Lily, seeing the danger her older brother was in, reacted on pure instinct, and raised her hand. Her hand glowed blue as a massive wave of frost came pouring out of her hand. Lance's eyes widened as he rolled out of the way.

"BREAK!" Issei roared as the ball ground against the barrier. The barrier strained and cracked underneath the ball until eventually, the barrier shattered.

"GO!" Issei said. Mary ran towards the orb and grabbed it. Using all her strength, she smashed the orb against the floor.

Outside, the entire sky flickered a violet color as the massive barrier came down.

**[ISSEI! THANK GOD!] **Ddraig said.

**|HATCHLING!|** Tiamat said.

"God, it's so good to hear your voices!" Issei said. He raised his left arm, causing a red gauntlet to appear on it.

**[|DRAGON BOOSTER|]**

Issei created a CC and called his sister. He swiped the CC to Lily.

"LILY! TAKE THE CC AND RUN WITH MARY! WAIT FOR MITSUKI AND THE OTHERS OUTSIDE!" Issei yelled. The ground shook underneath him, forcing him to turn around. Lance's eyes were glowing as several demonic hounds stood next to him.

"What the hell?" Issei said.

"Get the girls," Lance said. His voice held an aura of pull and power as the hounds howled and began to run after Mary and Lily.

"Like hell!" Issei said.

**[|WELSH DRAGON BALANCE BREAKER!|]**

**[|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|] [|Boost!|]**

**[|DRAGON SHOT!|]**

* * *

Kiba and Rossweisse surveyed their surroundings from the sky. As they flew at breakneck speeds across the night sky, a massive pulse of energy alerted them in the direction west of their location.

"What the?" Kiba said as he saw the sky flash a brilliant violet. Various complex runes rotated lazily in mid-air as they began to flicker out of existence. Kiba quickly turned to Rossweisse who kept staring in the direction of the barrier. "You think?" he began.

"Yeah, let's tell the others," Rossweisse said as she flew back in the group's direction. The two landed and saw Mitsuki running out of the woods with Irina.

The group turned and saw both duos land before them.

"What's going on?" Rias said.

"A few miles east, there's a large barrier that just went down," Kiba said.

"A barrier?" Mitsuki asked.

"Yeah, that's where we think they are," Rossweisse said. Irina unfurled her wings and beat them hard, taking off and creating a large gust of wind. Rias and Vali sighed as they flew after her.

Mitsuki sped past them and caught up to Irina as they came into the airspace of an abandoned town.

"IRINA! SLOW DOWN!" Mitsuki said.

"Not now Mii! I'm going to save Issei!" Irina said as she dove into the town.

* * *

Issei ripped another hound in half with Ascalon. He tore through the pack and appeared in front of Lance. Lance stumbled back before his eyes glowed and pushed Issei back with a telekinetic blast.

"Why won't my powers work on you!?" Lance said.

"Huh?" Issei looked at him confused.

"It worked on Keon," Lance said.

"What the hell did you do to Keon?" Issei asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Beelzebub said that only one of us can get out so… I killed him. Besides, it's not like this is the first time," Lance said, his eyes dulling for a second.

"What?" Issei froze.

"There were others. I was… part of the first batch," Lance said. "We were all so confused. We were all scared. So when Beelzebub all told us that the only way to survive is to be the last one standing… something inside us snapped. Our leader, she tried to keep us together for the first few days but she was killed. Soon after that, we descended into chaos. It was a slaughter-fest and guess who survived."

"You sick fuck! Some of them were children!" Issei said.

"The children, admittedly, were the easiest and the hardest to kill. Don't you presume to think you know how I feel," Lance said.

Issei felt like throwing up. This man in front of him willingly killed children instead of trying to find a way out of this place.

"But still, what you did," Issei said.

"I'm going to have to kill you now," Lance said.

"Why? It's all over. We don't need to kill each other anymore," Issei said.

"You don't understand do you," Lance said.

"Understand what?" Issei asked.

"_None_ of us can leave. Even if this barrier comes down, this entire town is guarded by those hounds. They'll only let the sole survivor of all the batches live and that means that Mary and Lily are going to get torn apart," Lance said.

Issei's eyes widened. As he turned to run off to save them, a hound hopped in front of Issei.

"Get the hell out of my way!" Issei yelled, killing the hound.

"No!" Lance said, his voice carrying a pull of power. Issei felt a compulsive pull inside his mind before instantly crushing it and flew off.

"Damnit!" Lance formed a small shadow sphere in his hand and fired it at Issei. Issei twisted out of the way and turned around.

"Sod off!" Issei said, firing an energy blast at him. Lance dodged and grabbed Issei with his telekinetic grip and slammed him into the ground. Issei shrugged it off and dashed towards him.

* * *

Mary ran for her life with Lily in her arms. Behind her were a pack of demonic hounds. Their fangs were bared and saliva was seen dripping from their mouths. Their black fur shined in the light of the sun as they nearly caught up with her. They nipped at her heels.

Mary yelped as she tripped on a rock. She fell on her back to protect Lily from getting hit by the floor. Mary glared at the hounds as they closed in on her and Lily, circling them and eyeing them like a piece of meat.

"GO AWAY!" Lily screamed as she raised her hand. A light blue light exploded from her small hand.

Mitsuki and Irina's eyes widened as a massive wave of ice erupted from the forest.

"Do you think?" Irina said. Mitsuki nodded and flew down. She saw Lily being protected by a girl with black hair from a few demonic dogs. She dove down, landing in front of the dogs.

"Get the hell away from my sister," Mitsuki said as she created energy blades in her hands. She disappeared in a burst of speed and all Mary and Lily were able to see were streaks of violet light. The hounds exploded into a shower of gore.

"Lily! Are you alright!?" Mitsuki asked, checking the little redhead all over. Mary, in her shock, let go of Lily as she dove into Mitsuki's arms.

"NEE!" Lily cried.

"Where's Aniki?" Mitsuki asked.

"He's over there. In a town, a few thousand feet east of here!" Mary said.

"Mitsuki, go! I'll keep her safe," Irina said. Mitsuki nodded and flew off.

* * *

Issei slammed his elbow into Lance's gut. Lance stumbled back and gasped for air. He ran at Issei and threw a punch. Issei easily dodged it and slapped him into the ground.

"Tch! Fuck!" Lance said, getting up.

"Give up, it's all over," Issei said.

"I have to win to get back to her," Lance said.

"Don't you get it!?" Issei said, knocking him down. "WE CAN LEAVE! YOU CAN GO HOME!"

Lance went quiet as he powered down.

"Come on," Issei said.

"No," Lance said. He swiped a dagger comprised of darkness he had hidden behind his back at Issei. Issei parried it with his left hand and punched Lance in the face, knocking him down.

Lance didn't move but was breathing lightly. Issei leaned down and placed his fingers over his neck. He felt a pulse and sighed.

"It's over," Issei said.

"ANIKI!"

Issei turned and saw Mitsuki running towards him. Issei smiled and held his arms out. Mitsuki smiled and flew into them, hugging her brother tightly.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered.

"Me too. Thanks for finding me, Mii-chan," Issei said.

"Where are the others?" Issei said.

"RIGHT HERE NYA!" Mitsuki chuckled and moved out of the way as Kuroka slammed into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. Issei leaned into the kiss before pulling away.

"Issei!"

He craned his neck and saw Irina and Rossweisse running over to them. Irina and Rossweisse pushed Kuroka out of the way. Rossweisse grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. Issei's eyes widened when her tongue slipped into his mouth, practically cleaning his tonsils. She pulled away, leaving Issei dazed.

Irina pouted before pushing Rossweisse aside. She grabbed Issei's collar and kissed him. Unlike Rossweisse's carnal kiss or Kuroka's exciting kiss, Irina's kiss was tender and filled with passion, as much passion as Rossweisse and Kuroka. Years of their relationship pouring their feelings into a single moment. She pulled away, leaving a trail of saliva that connected them together.

"I'm happy that you're safe, Issei," Irina said.

"Me too," Issei said.

"Issei," Rias said as she and the others landed.

"Rias," Issei said. She was surprised when Issei hugged her.

"Thank you for coming to save me," Issei said.

"Y- You're welcome," Rias said. "You're my best friend, Issei."

"Mine too," Issei said, pulling out. He stumbled when Asia jumped on his back.

"I'm glad you're safe, Nii-san," Asia said.

Everyone crowded around Issei and celebrated his safety. While they were all talking, they never noticed Lance slowly coming to.

Lance's eyes slowly opened. He looked around and saw Issei with several people around them. He wasn't stupid. If he attacked, then he would be quickly defeated. However, he could take out Issei and then make a break for it. Lance formed a dense spear of darkness and aimed it covertly at Issei. After he was finally sure that no one noticed him, he fired the spear and time slowed down.

Mitsuki smiled as she watched her brother conversing with the others. She felt immense disgust when she heard that Beelzebub had broken into their home one night and fed her twin blood to give him his powers. However, Issei had informed them that Beelzebub did not reveal any information as to where the blood came from. He also revealed another piece of alarming information. A Ha-Satan. As she mulled over the notion, her eye noticed something shining in the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened when she saw one of the Children, Lance, fire a spear at her brother's back.

"ANIKI!" she screamed.

Everything slowed down as Mitsuki pushed Issei out of the way.

Issei's eyes widened and he felt immense pain in his chest. His stare was one of horror as he saw his twin sister with an energy spear going through her chest.

She coughed up a glob of blood as she fell to her knees. The spear vanished into a stream of violet particles of light, leaving a fist sized hole in her chest. Issei quickly ran over she fell over, supporting her head. He turned over to Lance, who stood with his hand outstretched.

"AGGHHHH!" Issei fired a massive blast of red energy at Lance.

Beelzebub, who saw the entire interaction from the church spire, smiled.

"Game, set, match," Beelzebub said, snapping his fingers.

As the blast was about to hit Lance, he felt himself being pulled away and vanished. The energy blast ripped through the town and crashed into a mountain several dozen miles from the abandoned town. A large explosion vaporized the mountain instantly, sending a massive blast wave washing over them.

"A- ni," Mitsuki gasped. Issei turned back to her and gently cupped her face. Asia was already at her side with tears streaming down her face.

"Nee-san," Asia cried as she tried to heal her. However, no matter how many times Asia used **[Twilight Healing]**, nothing would happen. Mitsuki's heart had suffered irreparable damage from Lance's spear to the point where Asia could no longer recognize it. It was merely a ribbon of tissues with blood spilling from them.

Mitsuki weakly grabbed her hand and removed it with what little strength she had. It was taking all of her power just to move Asia's hand and speak. Irina turned Lily away from the scene while the others looked away. Vali's fist was clenched to the point where he drew blood from his hand.

"Aniki… Asia," Mitsuki said.

"Mii-chan, don't speak! Asia is healing you," Issei said, tears flowing from his face.

Mitsuki smiled softly. Her face was beginning to grow pale from blood loss and her lips were turning blue.

"S- Summer star… w- why are you so red?" Mitsuki sang softly, calming the two of them down. Her vision was rapidly fading as the darkness started to overtake her. Her mind was slipping into the peaceful depths of oblivion. She felt something wet hit her face. Was it raining? Her eyes traveled to the faces of two people. She smiled.

"Asia… Aniki, everything's going to be fine," she whispered as the light faded from her eyes and darkness overtook her senses.

"Mii-chan?" Issei said when he no longer saw her singing. Her eyes were still open and looking up at him and Asia. A peaceful smile was forever etched on her face.

"Nee-san?" Asia said, her voice cracking.

"Mitsuki, hey, hey, you're going to be fine yeah?" Issei said, softly stroking her hair. She hated it whenever he touched her hair without her permission. He was hoping that she would slap her hand.

"Because it's my job. It's my job as the big brother to protect his pain in the ass little sister right?" Issei said, egging her on, fully expecting her "You're only three minutes older than me" response.

Still, no response came from Mitsuki's increasingly cold body.

"Hey, wake up. It's not funny anymore," Issei said, shaking her.

No response.

"Mitsuki? Please, don't leave me alone," Issei said.

Asia sobbed into her adoptive sister's hand. Everyone around them cried while Mary looked at the scene with a grim expression.

Issei's bangs cast a shadow over his eyes as the tears flowed ever so harder. He had long since felt the warmth of his sister disappear. He felt their bond being severed by the hand of Death. And now, he could do nothing more for his beloved twin but cradle her lifeless body in his arms.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Scrumblenut: Why yes, I am changing the reasons. I'm also going to keep it vague and hidden for the entire next arc. **

**Andrew18: Sorry... about that hehe.**

* * *

**Let's be real. If you were from the original story, you knew this was coming. Mitsuki dies. Anyway, we're wrapping up the second arc of the first season in the next two chapters so be ready. Alright, I didn't explicitly reveal Lance's power but feel free to guess which Clan his power came from. Also, which Clan gave Lily gave her power. Remember to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours~!**


	30. Deals and Demons

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Unknown Location, US, March 16, 2020, 1:45 AM**

* * *

Lance fell on the forest floor panting. He had meant to aim for Issei, not his bitch sister. He scrambled and began to run to get as much distance as he could between him and Issei.

"Nice night for a run huh Lance?" a voice called out from the woods. He stopped and turned to see the malevolent eyes of Beelzebub looking at him. The demon was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and his cloak fluttering lazily behind him.

"You," Lance said with slight anger. Beelzebub raised his hands in front of him.

"Woah big guy. Easy. I just came to congratulate you that's all," he said. Lance relaxed a little.

"Okay, now that I won, what now?" he said. "You promised that she would heal my sister!"

"All in good time Lance but for now, I need you to do one more thing for me. About a ten-hour trek from here is a railroad. I need you to meet me there because there is something I need you to do," Beelzebub said as he smiled at him. Lance narrowed his eyes at his request.

"I thought you said that-"

"Nuh-uh. This is the last teeny thing you need to do. After all, you're a leader now and what is a leader without his army."

Lance looked at him before nodding. "You promise that she'll get better," Lance said.

"Demons never break their promises. It's how we get deals after all," Beelzebub said.

* * *

**Unknown Location, March 16, 2020, 1:45 AM, Current Time: 3 Minutes and 3 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Grief. Rage. Emptiness. Hopelessness.

This was all Issei felt at the moment. It had been several hours since she died. Killed right in front of him by Lance. Issei would be sure to pay him back in kind thousandfold. He would make him feel the same pain that he felt when Mitsuki died. He would make him feel the same felt his sister felt as she died. As he bled out in her arms. Issei looked at the unmoving body of Mitsuki. After she had died, they had moved her into one of the houses and placed her on the table and covered her with cloth.

Asia had become inconsolable and almost catatonic, using Eren as support. Lily had gone silent, going back to the way she had been when he first found her. They were with the others downstairs. Issei was the only one who had remained with her. He had to be. They were together when they were born and even when they were apart, they were always together. Issei could feel her presence within the back of his head whenever they were apart and now… he felt nothing.

**[Issei… I'm sorry]** Ddraig said.

"_Sorry won't bring her back, Ddraig,"_ Issei responded emotionlessly.

"Mii-chan. I'm so sorry. You died because of me," Issei said. He lifted the cloth to look at her face.

Mitsuki never lost her beauty when she died. Issei stroked her soft brown hair. Her lips had gone blue and her skin was unnaturally pale. It wasn't normal. She was supposed to be alive. She was supposed to be annoying him. She was supposed to be annoyed by him. He had never went a single day in his entire life where he didn't feel her presence within his mind.

"Why? Why did it have to be her? She doesn't deserve this," Issei said. His rage was palpable and his anger grew and grew as a black aura surrounded him. The aura became oppressive as the entire area began to shake. Issei shot into the air, bursting through the roof.

Irina burst through the door as soon as she felt Issei's power grow rapidly.

"ISSEI!" Irina yelled as she watched Issei become nothing more than a black and red streak.

Irina unfurled her wings and attempted to take off when Rias grabbed her arm.

"RIAS! LET ME GO!" Irina yelled.

"You can't, Irina! Issei has to grieve in his own way. Just give him a few hours! He'll come back to us on his own time!" Rias said.

"I CAN'T LEAVE HIM ALONE! NOT AGAIN! NOT AFTER ALL THAT'S HAPPENED TO HIM!" Irina yelled.

Vali appeared next to her and chopped her neck, knocking her out. Rias caught Irina in her arms and narrowed her eyes at Vali.

"What was that for?" Rias demanded.

"I did that to calm her down," Vali said.

"By knocking her out!" Rias screamed. Everyone walked into the room upon hearing Rias shouting.

"What's going on?" Rossweisse asked.

"Vali knocked out Irina," Rias said.

"Why?" Rikka asked, gripping her blade.

"To keep her from going after Issei. If she goes after him while he's like this, she'll get hurt," Vali said.

Issei shot across the sky and dived into an abandoned forest below. He landed and shook the ground. Issei roared in grief and rage. His aura exploded from his body uprooting the trees and splitting the ground apart. Lightning crackled around his body as his eyes became toxic pits of green light. Green mist exuded from his eyes.

"RAAAAAGGGHHHH!"

Issei's roar was inhuman. It was unlike any beast that Ddraig or Tiamat had ever heard in their life. Five pairs of wings, the left half feathered and the right half draconic, burst from Issei's back. The wings spread, casting a massive shadow around him. The aura around Issei shot into the sky, ionizing the air. Green lightning crackled across the sky and crashed down into the forest.

The local wildlife ran in fear of whatever beast was currently rampaging in the forest. Spirits, nymphs, and mythical beasts also fled, fearing that whatever was there would target them next.

Ddraig and Tiamat watched sadly as their host fell into what happened to most dragons when their rage overtook them.

The Outrage Mode.

Issei let loose a draconic roar that shattered the night sky. The **[Boosted Gear]** appeared on Issei's left hand and began to glow brightly. Issei's entire form glowed crimson as he became covered in a rocky armor that resembled magma. His visage became demonic as a large pair of demonic ram horns appeared on his head. Two horns framed his jaw. His teeth elongated into a set of razor-sharp teeth with large canines at the side. His eyes became baleful pits of orange incandescent flames.

Issei opened his mouth and unleashed a massive beam of black and red energy. The beam traveled for several dozen kilometers before exploding in a brilliant flash of red light. The shockwave traveled for over a hundred miles, flattening the trees. All the towns in the vicinity were hit, damaging them.

The entire are burned in crimson flames as Issei walked around. He raised his hand and slammed it into the ground, creating a massive crater that was over fifty meters wide and ten meters deep. He unleashed a massive aura and created a massive sphere of flames and shot it into the sky.

The entire sky was lit in a massive flaming sphere that turned night to day.

Issei turned his demonic head towards the Moon. The Moon.

_Mitsuki_, Issei thought. Mitsuki. His twin sister, whose name meant Beautiful Moon, was now dead. And the celestial body in the sky served as a reminder. A reminder of his failure to save the one who's been with him since birth.

"GRAAAGHHH!" Issei pointed the tips of his wings and pooled several iridescent colors of energy into a single point. He fired the beam at the moon, which reached the celestial body in the span of three milliseconds. The beam created a massive explosion that covered an area the size of Madagascar.

The explosion was seen from the surface of the Earth as everyone looked up at the night sky. Large portions of the Moon hurtled towards the Earth, some the size of a large building and impacted parts of the Earth.

Exhaustion finally caught up with Issei as he fell to his knees. The reality of his sister's death had finally caught up with him as he weakly pounded his fist on the charred soil. His demonic form dissipated, leaving him drained of energy.

"Goddamnit! Why am I so weak!?" Issei sobbed as an image of his sister's face appeared inside his head.

"I can't even save my own sister from dying!" Issei said.

**[Issei. It wasn't your fault. Your sister saved you from death.]** Ddraig said.

"_Because I was weak_," Issei said.

**|You need to stop blaming yourself, Hatchling. She wouldn't want this. She saved you because she loved you|** Tiamat said, attempting to console him.

"_It's not fair. Mitsuki had a long life ahead of her full of success and promise. And she threw it away to save me. Her worthless, perverted brother. I had nothing going for me in the Human World and in the future, I'll have nothing going for me in the Supernatural World,"_ Issei said.

**[Issei. You're a hero. People aren't just going to toss you aside]** Ddraig said.

"_Ddraig. You know that's not true. Heroes are forgotten after a while,_" Issei said.

Ddraig and Tiamat went silent, knowing the truth behind Issei's words. A statement that rang true in both the human and supernatural worlds.

"What do I do now?" Issei asked seemingly no one as he sat listlessly among the devastation that he had wrought. A massive blackened scar in the Earth that spanned for at least a hundred miles in every direction.

"I believe I can help with that," a voice said from the shadows. Issei turned and came in contact with a pair of glowing black violet eyes.

* * *

"Ow… what? Did anyone get the number of that bus that hit me?" Mitsuki asked as she slowly sat up. She blinked when she saw her brother burst through the roof.

"ANIKI!" Mitsuki tried to spread her wings only to feel nothing behind her back. She heard Irina's scream and turned around to see Vali knock her out. Irina fell into Rias's arms as the Gremory Heiress began screaming at Vali for harming Irina.

"Vali!" Mitsuki yelled, attempting to get her two cents in. "What the hell was that… for?" Mitsuki blinked when her hand passed through Vali's arm.

"W- What?" Mitsuki looked at her hands and noticed that she was slightly translucent.

"G- Guys?" Mitsuki said, feeling a small pang of fear. "I think something's wrong with me…"

If they heard her, none of them responded.

"Guys?" Mitsuki said in a confused manner as she waved her hand in front of their faces.

"It's useless, you know," a female voice said from above her.

"Huh?" Mitsuki turned around and saw a woman sitting in midair. She had blood-red eyes and long violet hair. She had a small skull pin on her head. The woman wore a red button-up sweater with a salmon skirt. She wore red stockings and black brogues. The woman had a soft smile on her face as she looked at Mitsuki. A menacing double-bladed scythe floated behind her back lazily.

"Who are you?" Mitsuki demanded, attempting to summon **[Telos Karma]**. She blinked when she wasn't able to feel her Sacred Gear anywhere inside her.

"Mitsuki Hyoudou, age 17. Born April 16, 2002. Current Wielder of the Artifact, Telos Karma. Twin Sister of the current Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyoudou, correct?" the woman asked, summoning a clipboard.

"Y- Yes?" Mitsuki asked, looking at her nervously.

"Ah good! I thought I got the wrong person! Last time that happened as after Adolf Hitler committed suicide! When I got there, he was still alive and moved to Argentina!" the woman said. "Oh, quite rude of me! I am Teysara. An Archreaper."

"So Hades sent you here. That means that I… died right?" Mitsuki asked.

"No. Not yet. And no, I don't serve Hades," Teysara said.

"But you're a reaper are you not?" Mitsuki asked.

"There's a difference. Archreapers are just names we go by while we're here on Earth. We serve Death. Not Hades," Teysara said.

"Why can't I interact with the others? Ghosts are capable of interacting with the Supernatural," Mitsuki said.

"Oh, that's because those ghosts are trapped on Earth, in the Physical World of Assiah. We are currently in lowest level of Pneuma, the Veil between Worlds which is located in the World of Emanation, Atziluth," Teysara said.

"Atziluth. Assiah. Pneuma. You know what? Nevermind, just please tell me what the hell is going on," Mitsuki said.

"Right… I have brought you here for a reason," Teysara said. "Your body is at a crossroads as your soul has yet to fully leave your body due to… your connections to this world."

"I can't move on?" Mitsuki asked.

"Yes," Teysara said.

"What if I don't want to move on?" Mitsuki asked.

"Then I shall send you back to Assiah where you will spend the rest of Eternity as a spirit in which you will inevitably meet your fate of becoming a poltergeist," Teysara said.

"But I can't just abandon them," Mitsuki said. "My brother. My friends. They still need me… please, isn't there a way for you to bring me back to life?"

"My superior wouldn't like that. Lord Maveth is very finicky about maintaining the cosmic cycle of Life and Death. Everything is subject to him and his counterpart, even the Elder Gods of this world. My job is to make sure that cycle isn't broken so I'm sorry if I can't make an exception for you," Teysara said.

"...," Mitsuki fell to her knees and stared at the floor. She glanced over at the table where she saw her dead body.

"... Can you give me a few hours?" Mitsuki asked, glancing at her retreating friends.

"Of course," Teysara said.

Mitsuki nodded gratefully as the Archreaper dissipated into nothingness. Mitsuki sighed as she phased through the door to see her friends and family one last time.

* * *

"Who are you?" Issei asked.

The woman emerged from the shadows and smiled. Her violet-pink hair fluttered gently in the breeze as she hovered in front of a downed and defeated Issei. Her eyes shifted to one of glee. The same glee of a business person about to strike a profit.

"I'm a demon… a Faustian Devil. I was out of the job for a while but now I've been hired again," she said.

"What the hell do you want?" Issei asked.

"I'm here to help you," she said, leaning close to Issei's face.

Issei's hand wrapped around her throat and held her up, crushing her throat.

"W- Wait! I CAN HELP!" she yelled desperately.

"I don't need help from a demon. You and your leaders were the reason my sister's dead anyway," Issei said. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"B- BECAUSE I CAN BRING HER BACK TO LIFE!" she rasped. Issei's eyes widened as he dropped her.

**[Issei… no. Whatever she's saying is a lie]** Ddraig said.

**|Don't listen to that devil, Issei!|** Tiamat urged.

Issei ignored them and stared at the coughing devil in front of him.

"Talk now," Issei said, summoning Ascalon and leveling it at her throat. The demon gulped as she stared at the blade.

"I can bring your twin sister back to life. In mint condition too," she said.

"You can?" Issei asked. "Prove it."

The demon sighed and lifted her hand. A charred corpse of a bird flew into her hand. The bird had failed to escape Issei's rampage and was caught in the flames, burning to death. The demon smiled as wisps of dark energy emanated from her hand and attached to the bird.

Issei watched in morbid fascination as the bird's wounds stitched itself back together. The charred skin healed rapidly and the feathers began to rapidly grow back. The bird's heart began to beat as its wings began to twitch. After the energy fully infused itself, it dispersed and the bird sprung to life, tweeting in fear. Upon seeing the demon, it rapidly flew away, wanting to escape from the monster in front of it.

"There. That proof?" the demon asked.

"Gods… can do that too," Issei said.

"Yes, they can but this bird was beyond… saving so to speak," the demon said. "Of course, it's just a bird. As you said, the gods are capable of doing this as well."

"So what's the point of this? Why can't I just go to someone like Hades or a Death God and bring her back to life?" Issei asked.

"Because, the difference is that they won't be able to do it. Mitsuki's soul is constrained to the Biblical Pantheon. To get her soul would require them to encroach on Heaven which would be seen as an act of war," the demon explained.

"...," Issei remained silent.

"What's the catch?" Issei asked, looking at her with emotionless eyes.

"Your soul," she said.

**[Issei. BACK OUT OF THIS DEAL NOW!] **Ddraig said.

**|ISSEI! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT MITSUKI WOULD WANT THIS!?|** Tiamat demanded.

Issei ignored their pleas and directed his thoughts to Mastema, who had oddly remained silent the entire time.

"_Mastema? What do you think?_" he asked.

**(I believe that this whole thing is entirely up to you. This is your decision, Issei)** Mastema said. **(I'll support whatever you do, even if I don't like it.)**

Issei looked down at the ground and pulled out a small crescent moon charm. The moonlight cast a soft glow on the charm, causing it to give off a small silver light.

"Mii-chan," Issei whispered as he gripped the charm tightly. He sighed and steeled his resolve and looked at the demon.

"I'll do it," Issei said.

**[Issei! Think about this! What would Mitsuki say if she learns what you did after you came back to life!?]** Ddraig yelled.

"She won't," Issei whispered.

"Well then. That's splendid news!" the demon said. She waved her hand and summoned a contract. The contract unrolled itself in front of Issei as the words made themselves readable to Issei.

"Here," the demon said, handing Issei a quill.

"A quill? What is this, the seventeenth century?" Issei asked.

"Just sign it," she said, snapping her fingers impatiently.

Issei gulped and grabbed the quill. He looked down at the signing line and placed his quill on it.

As Mitsuki watched her friends grieve, she felt an intense pain course through the very fiber of her being. The very concept of her existence was being forcefully pulled and tampered with. She screamed and fell to her knees, gripping her chest in pain.

Teysara glanced at Mitsuki in worry and ran over to her. She placed her hand inside Mitsuki's chest and narrowed her eyes.

"There," Issei said as he finished signing his name. On the contract was Issei's name signed in his blood. The name glowed as thunder and lightning clapped across the sky, despite the sky being clear and Issei's aura being restrained.

"There are some… other things that you should know," the demon said.

"What other things?" Issei asked.

"Your life," she said.

"My life?" he asked.

"Yes. You see when we were still active and the ones performing contracts for Devils, our contractors, after making the contract, had only ten years left to live," the demon said.

Issei's eyes widened.

"T- Ten years. Are you telling me that I'll die within the next decade?" Issei said.

"No, no, your case will be different. At the end of this year, you'll die," she said.

"One year! That's not even the same amount as your previous contractors! What makes me so different!?" Issei demanded.

"I don't know," she said.

"You're swindling me," Issei said.

"No, I'm not. This was the contract I was told to give you after I made the deal," she said.

"Given? You determine these?" Issei said.

"I usually do but… while we made the deal, this one was drafted up by… Ha-Satan," she said.

"... You know what I'm not even going to ask who Ha-Satan is," Issei said.

_One year… huh? _Issei thought. An image of his twin sister smiling brightly at him appeared inside his head.

_For her. For them. Anything is worth it_, Issei thought.

"Well? Don't you have to get back? Your sister should be awake by now," the demon said.

Issei's eyes widened as he heard her words. He spread his wings to take off when he heard the demon speak.

"Remember. One year," she said.

Issei paused for a moment before nodding and took off, disappearing into the sky. After Issei left, the demon stood there as the first light of the sun began to creep over the horizon. She froze when she felt an all-too familiar presence behind her. She slowly turned around and saw the all-too familiar terrifying visage of her leader.

"Milady!" she said, getting down on one knee.

"No need. Stand," she said. The demon stood and remained silent as the woman walked past her.

"Did you do it?" she asked.

"As per your instructions Milady," the demon said.

"One year," she said. The woman stood there for a few seconds before stretching her hand out. Streams of wispy violet energy came forth from her hand and seeped into the area. The foliage began to bloom as the green began to return to the area.

"Hmm," she said as she plucked a flower from the ground. "Beel is about to make his move. Head back to Sheol. I'll meet the rest of them there. And please, when you get there. Send for Naamah."

"As you wish Ha-Satan," the demon said and vanished before her sight.

The now dubbed "Ha-Satan" smiled softly as she stared at the slowly rising sun.

* * *

Mitsuki suddenly gasped for air, sitting up on the table. The cloth that covered her flew off. She clutched her chest, feeling a slight pain on the left side. She looked down and saw a hole in her shirt, exposing her breast. Mitsuki quickly turned red and used magic to repair her clothing. She sighed and got off the table.

"How long was I asleep?" Mitsuki said. The past several hours were a haze for her. She looked around and saw that she was no longer inside the Blacklight Base.

She walked over to the door and opened it. "

"Guys?" Mitsuki said, walking down the stairs. She saw them all hunched over, grieving. Mitsuki tilted her head in worry and confusion. She coughed and knocked on the wall.

"Hello?" she said.

"Not now Mitsuki… we're grieving Mitsuki's death," Bikou said, wiping his tears.

Everyone stopped when they heard her voice. They all turned around slowly and saw Mitsuki looking at them with a concerned look.

"MITSUKI!"

Mitsuki groaned as she felt herself being tackled to the floor by the others. She groaned as she tried to get herself out from under them.

"GUYS! I can't… breaaathe!" Mitsuki complained. Everyone blinked and got off her. Mitsuki craned her neck, feeling a satisfying crack on her neck. She grunted as she was pushed back by the force of Asia's hug.

"Nee-san… Nee-san!" Asia sobbed happily, crying tears of joy into her chest. Mitsuki smiled as she felt her shirt getting wet from Asia's tears.

The door burst open and Issei ran in, panting. His eyes widened when he saw Mitsuki as tears pooled at the edge of his eyes.

"Aniki?" Mitsuki looked at him with concern as Asia moved away from her sister. Mitsuki found herself being engulfed in a hug by her twin brother, feeling the hug getting tighter. Mitsuki gingerly wrapped her arms around her brother.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Mitsuki said.

"Y- Yeah why wouldn't I be?" Mitsuki asked.

"N- Nothing. It's just that you got hurt when you guys came to get me," Issei said, pulling away from her.

"Well, isn't it nice to have your sister do the saving for once?" Mitsuki asked.

"It's supposed to be the big brother's job to save their younger siblings," Issei said.

"Aniki… you're only three minutes older than me. That's not enough to make you my big brother," Mitsuki said. "And we're twins."

"Still older than you," Issei said.

As the others gathered around Mitsuki, Issei stood off to the side and watched happily as his twin became the center of attention. He sighed as he tried to speak to Tiamat and Ddraig.

"_Guys? I know what I did was… wrong but_," Issei said.

**[Issei. Do you realize that you have one year left to live?]** Ddraig said.

"_I know_," Issei said.

**|How do you think your friends and family will feel after they hear that you sold your soul? Irina? Rossweisse? That cat? Your sisters? Did you for once think about how they might feel knowing that they'll lose you? Issei, if Mitsuki finds out that you sold your soul for her, it will break her. It'll be even worse if she finds out you'll die in one year just so she can live!|** Tiamat yelled.

Issei remained silent as Tiamat ripped into him.

**|YOU ABSOLUTE FOOL! SHE THREW HERSELF IN FRONT OF THAT ATTACK TO SAVE YOU! TO KEEP ALIVE! AND WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT CHANCE SHE GAVE YOU! YOU THREW IT AWAY TO GET HER BACK!|** Tiamat yelled.

**[Why did you do it, Issei? Why did you sell your soul for her?]** Ddraig said.

"_BECAUSE I CAN'T DO IT! I… I just can't. I can't live without her. Don't you understand? Mitsuki and I have been together since before we were born. We're two halves of the same person,_" Issei said. _"We were one person at one point."_

Mastema watched silently as Issei poured out his soul to Ddraig and Tiamat.

Ddraig and Tiamat remained silent as Issei internally broke down.

"_Look. We'll talk about this later. There's someone that we need to stop first,_" Issei said.

* * *

**Unknown Location, USA, 6:55 AM**

* * *

Lance arrived in front of a railroad in the literal middle of nowhere. He looked to the sky and saw swirling funnels of black mist flying around in the sky. Whenever one tried to get past the rails, it was repelled and a mass of complex and intricate runes briefly appeared in the sky before vanishing.

"Looks like you made it to the party," a voice said next to him. Lance jumped and grabbed a rock from the ground. Beelzebub turned slightly to look at him before turning back to the rails.

"Alright, I'm here. What do you want?" Lance said. Beelzebub looked at him before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an old revolver and handed it to Lance.

"A Colt revolver? What do you want me to do with it?" he said as he accepted it.

"Revolver? Hardly. That right there is possibly one of the only existing weapons left in all of Creation that can kill me and the Gods with one-hundred percent guarantee. It's also a key for the thing I need you to go get past these rails. It's another twelve-hour walk to your destination from here," Beelzebub said to him.

"What's to stop me from shooting you right here?" Lance said pointing the gun at his face after hearing that this was the only weapon that could kill Beelzebub.

"Oh go ahead. But I wouldn't. After all, you wouldn't want something to happen to your cute little sister, would you? I know some demons have had their eyes on her and I'm the only one preventing them from attacking. How about this? I let you kill the two I'm talking about and you use the Gun to get what I need? Deal?" Beelzebub said.

Lance nodded. Beelzebub sent out a mental command for two demons. Two male demons landed in front of Lance. The two devils looked at Lance with an air of arrogance.

"Lance, this is Abraxas and Daruda. Feel free to kill them," Beelzebub said, shocking the two. Without hesitation, Lance fired the Colt at the two demons killing them instantly. Lance watched with satisfaction as the demons fell to the ground, their bodies flashing with a fiery orange before dying.

"Better?" Beelzebub asked. Lance nodded but before crossing over the rails, he turned to the Prince of Hell and asked him,

"Why can't you cross?"

Beelzebub sighed in annoyance before walking up to the rails and placing his hand on it. A barrier composed of runes appeared to prevent Beelzebub from entering.

"Any more questions?" Lance shook his head at Beelzebub's question and made his way past the rails.

* * *

**Ars Nova, 12:00 PM**

* * *

Issei silently opened the door and walked into the office. Everyone stopped their work and turned to see Issei and the others. Azrael and Grayfia got up from her chair and engulfed Issei in a hug.

"We're so glad you're okay," Grayfia said.

Azrael nodded as she pulled away from the hug. She ruffled Issei's hair, however, the moment she came into contact with Issei's head, Azrael's eyes widened slightly. She looked at Issei with a strange look before nodding.

"Issei," Sirzechs walked over and pulled him into a hug. He pulled out and nodded before walking back.

"Right, we have important information to give you," Issei said.

"Report," Sirzechs said.

"I have spoken with Beelzebub," Issei said.

"Spoke with him?" Serafall asked. "Elaborate."

"While resting, Beelzebub appeared inside my dream," Issei said. "He told me how children like me were created. It was… through a blood infusion to get whatever energy we had inside our bodies in there."

"Blood infusion…," Azazel said. "But… if that were the case, all the children would have the same ability. Lily here should be able to use the Shevirat Ha-Kelim but she hasn't shown the ability to use it."

"Did he mention where he got the blood from?" Ajuka asked.

"He… did. He said he got it from Ha-Satan," Issei said.

The entire room went silent. The Maous' eyes all widened collectively upon hearing that word.

"That's impossible. There is no Ha-Satan currently," Falbium said.

"That's what he said word for word," Issei said.

"I see. Did he mention why he began to make children like you and Lily?" Michael asked.

"He said that he wanted an army. He wanted to finish what he started during the Great War," Issei said.

"That in and of itself is highly unlikely. If Beelzebub has been around for this long, he would have struck shortly after the Great War when both Heaven, Hell, and the Grigori were weakened from the War. He could've easily consolidated his power in Hell and become the current Ha-Satan," Raphael said.

"So something's not adding up?" Rias said.

"Exactly. Beelzebub was the youngest and most ambitious of our sister's seven eldest children. He would not have passed this opportunity up. Especially if this was his end goal… no, his goal is something else. Something we're not aware of. And then there's this other factor. The Ha-Satan that Beelzebub mentioned. The only Ha-Satan that Hell has ever had was…," Raphael trailed off.

"Lucifer," Sirzechs said. "Lucifer was the only Ha-Satan we ever had."

"We're getting off-track," Azazel said. "Where is Beelzebub now?"

Rikka glanced at Mitsuki and nodded. She stepped forward before Issei could say anything.

"Aniki has told us that Beelzebub's base is located somewhere in Wyoming. Can you guys project a holographic map of the United States?" Mitsuki asked. Issei looked at her strangely and was about to say something when Irina stomped on his foot. Issei bit his lip in pain and looked at her to say something. Issei paled when he saw the menacing yet pleasant smile on her face.

Issei clammed up and focused on Mitsuki.

Ajuka projected a map of the United States with which Mitsuki highlighted a small area in the wilderness of Wyoming.

"This area right here is where Beelzebub is currently operating. We believe that there's something there that he wants," Mitsuki said.

"Curious, Beelzebub told Issei all this?" Serafall asked.

"Yeah. Right, Aniki?" Mitsuki said.

"Huh? Yes, of course. He was so sure that I'd be one of the people that died in his little Hunger Games that he decided to give me his plan," Issei said.

The Archangels narrowed their eyes but said nothing.

"So do we have any surveillance footage of that area?" Sirzechs asked.

"Let's see," Azrael said. She opened her hand and a small magic circle appeared inside it. The circle projected an image of the area that Mitsuki pointed to. The image was grainy as if it were experiencing a massive amount of interference.

"We can't get a clearer image?" Gabriel asked.

"No, there's something there that's preventing me from clearing it up but from what I can see, there's a massive amount of devils flying around and concentrating their efforts in getting past… no way," Azrael said.

"Is that?" Sirzechs asked.

"A Solomon's Key. A barrier developed by King Solomon specifically to keep Devils out of an area. Or keeping them in," Azazel said.

"So there's something in there that Beelzebub wants and that Solomon's Key is keeping it trapped inside?" Rias asked.

"Presumably," Sirzechs said.

"So what's our next move?" Issei asked.

"We move against Beelzebub effective immediately before he finishes whatever the hell he's planning," Sirzechs said. He turned to Issei, Vali, and Mitsuki. "I want you three to spearhead this mission. Issei, we're officially making… whoever is here from your Azazel Cup Team as honorary emergency members of DxD. Your mission is to go to this location in Wyoming and stop Beelzebub before he can achieve his plans."

"Wait," Rias said.

"What is it?" Serafall asked.

"Did you guys forget? Devils can't enter the area. That Solomon's Key is going to keep us out," Rias said.

"There's a way around it," Azazel said. "Come here."

Rias nodded and walked over to the Former Governor-General. He held out his hand and a series of runes appeared around Rias. The runes circled rapidly around her before sinking into her body.

Rias looked at her arms and her body before giving Azazel a confused look.

"It's a counterspell we developed against Solomon's Keys. Solomon's Keys can be configured to trap or keep out Angels so we and Heaven developed such a spell," Azazel said.

"I see," Rias said.

"Come over here. I'll cast it on the rest of you," Azazel said.

One by one, the Devils went up to Azazel to get the spell cast on them. After they were finished, Azazel returned back to his place with the other Archangels and the Four Maou. Sirzechs coughed and stepped forward.

"Right. Once again, the main focus of this mission is to prevent Beelzebub from achieving whatever the hell it is he wants from inside that Key. Eliminate him if you have to but it is preferable if you capture him so that he may be brought before the Celestial Council," Sirzechs said.

Gabriel stepped forward and gave them all a mischievous grin. "Since this is a place that none of you have ever been to, I shall be the one to transport you there! Any questions?" Gabriel asked.

No one said anything, prompting Gabriel to clap her hands.

"Alright then… please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times and remember to have as much… well as much fun as you can have stopping a Demon Lord with great destructive powers from before you were born!" Gabriel said.

Everyone gave the Archangel a strange look. Gabriel was unfazed by their demeanor and snapped her fingers, teleporting everyone away from the room.

Michael glanced at his younger sister, who had a contemplative look on her face. Her jet black eyes stared off into space. Michael walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jolt out of her reverie.

"Huh?" Azrael turned around to look at her brother.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked.

"You know what's wrong. You can sense it," Azrael said. Michael went silent. He did sense it. That all too familiar sensation. They had to deal with it more than once during the Great War.

"I sensed it," Michael said.

"So I wasn't crazy then," Gabriel said, turning around.

"Crazy about what?" Serafall asked, butting her head in next to Gabriel. Gabriel narrowed her eyes down at the diminutive Devil King.

"Nothing," she said.

"Issei's soul," Azrael began. At the mention of Issei, everyone turned around and looked at her. "Issei's soul has been earmarked for damnation. In one year, his soul will be dragged to Hell and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it."

"WHAT!?" Grayfia yelled.

"What do you mean Issei's soul is damned for Hell?" Sirzechs said.

"His soul. It has the mark of someone who sold their soul," Azrael said.

"And there's nothing we can do?" Ajuka asked.

"Well, there is. We can find the one who holds Issei's contract and eliminate them thus voiding the contract but I can imagine how hard it would be to track down the one who made the deal with Issei," Azrael said.

Everyone remained silent upon hearing Azrael's words.

"Don't tell anyone," she said. "I can imagine that he wants to be the one to tell them."

* * *

Lance stepped foot into the cemetery, clutching the gun in his left hand. He spotted what Beelzebub had meant. A large mausoleum in the middle of the cemetery amongst all the other headstones. He walked over to the large black iron doors of the mausoleum. The door was intricately designed with a massive flaming pentagram emblazoned into the door. A large hole was located at the center of the pentagram.

"All I have to do is do this?" Lance said, holding the gun. The images of everyone that he's killed in the past games that Beelzebub had held appeared inside his head. He could never go back to his family after this but… in the end, his sister would be alive and healed. That is, if Beelzebub's words were true.

"LANCE!"

Lance froze and turned around, seeing Issei and the others. He gritted his teeth as he took a defensive stance.

"Issei… and you?" Lance looked at Mitsuki in a confused manner.

Issei stiffened as he heard Lance's words.

"You know me?" Mitsuki asked.

"You're supposed to be dead," Lance said.

"What?" Mitsuki looked at him confused.

"You died. You were pierced in the heart. I saw you get impaled right through the chest!" Lance said.

Mitsuki went silent as shock completely overtook her body. Her hand unconsciously moved to her chest where a lingering phantom pain pulsated inside her chest cavity.

"Lance. Stop this. Give up and put the gun down," Issei said.

"I can't, Issei. I can't. I'm too far gone," Lance said as a series of blackened marks appeared on the side of his neck. His eyes began to glow violet.

"It's not too late to stop this," Issei said.

"It is. And I'm sorry for this," he said.

"For what?" Issei asked.

"For targeting your sister a second time," Lance said. His eyes began to glow as he raised his hand. Mitsuki's eyes widened as her hands flew to her throat, gasping for air.

"Mii-chan!" Issei said as he and the others ran to assist her.

Lance nodded before running towards the mausoleum door. He sighed as he stuck the barrel into the keyhole of the door.

"ISSEI! GO! We got her!" Irina said. Issei nodded and ran towards Lance. He appeared behind Lance in an instant, prompting him to turn around. Lance's vision became filled with Issei's fist as he was sent flying across the cemetery and crashed into a tombstone. Issei appeared above a downed Lance as he grabbed his collar.

"I never got to pay you back for last time," Issei said.

"Does she know?" Lance whispered in pain.

"Know what?" Issei asked.

"That you made a deal," he answered.

"I didn't make a-," Issei said.

"Don't even bother to lie. I know you did it. I made a deal with Beelzebub that he would heal my sister if I won the games and did everything he said," Lance croaked.

"How long do you have?" Issei asked.

"Until he sees fit to get rid of me. If you haven't noticed, we were nothing but this man's pawns," Lance said.

"So what does he want?" Issei asked.

"That door that's about to open is a portal to the deeper levels of Hell and in that level is an army of demons waiting to be freed. And that Gun that opens the door is one of the only things that can kill him," Lance said. Issei's eyes widened when he heard those words.

"Can we stop it?" Issei asked.

"No, we're too late… and now that I told you this, Beelzebub will kill me so promise me one thing," Lance said.

"Why should I promise you anything?" Issei asked.

"Because everything I did, I did for her," Lance said. "It's like you throwing your soul away for your sister."

Issei remained silent, unable to talk back to him.

"So what do you want me to do?" Issei said after a few seconds.

"Protect her. Protect my sister because after I die, Beelzebub will go for her next and kill her. Please… I know I don't deserve your help but as one brother to another, keep her safe," Lance said.

Issei nodded before shaking his head.

"Tell her that yourself. Come on," Issei said, extending his hand.

The sound of gears shifting brought everyone out of their stupor. Issei's eyes grew wide. He had forgotten to retrieve the Colt from Lance. Everyone watched in horror as the emblem slowly put itself together.

"TAKE COVER!" Risa yelled as everyone began to raise a barrier.

Issei ran over to the mausoleum and pulled the Colt out of the lock in an attempt to stop the process. It didn't work. The locks continued to undo themselves with each click bringing the door closer to opening. Banging sounds could be now heard from behind the doors.

"Aniki!" he heard Mitsuki yell and saw her and the others waving at him to get behind a barrier being produced by Rossweisse, Akeno, Le Fay, and Rias.

Issei grabbed Lance and dove for cover behind one of the tombstones.

The group watched as the doors flew open and a massive torrent of black smoke shot into the night sky. A shockwave of flaming energy exploded from the opened doors nearly shattering their barriers and breaking every tombstone within close proximity of the mausoleum.

The shockwave traveled outward from the graveyard. Lightning raced across the sky as massive storm clouds appeared over the entire midwestern US. The Enochian runes on the railroads glowed as they struggled to contain the massive amount of demons that were attempting to break free. Eventually, the runes burned out and the entire railroad system was melted creating a massive molten star that could be seen from space.

Issei watched with wide eyes as demons flew across the sky and into the world.

"No…," he said. He turned his gaze back to the open gate, where demonic beasts, damned spirits, and demons themselves crawled out. "WE HAVE TO CLOSE THE DOORS!" he yelled over the demonic screeching. They all nodded and raced to the doors.

"Issei, you and the others keep an eye out," Risa said.

"Huh?" everyone turned to look at her.

"I'll close the door. I know how these things work so please, keep them off me," Risa said.

"You can count on us," Issei said. Risa smiled and ran towards the door and began to push it close with all her strength.

The members of DxD all stood, ready to fight to protect Risa as she closed the Gates. Lance sat against one of the tombstones, stiffening when he felt a wave of pure power wash over the area.

"Issei," Ingvild said.

"GUYS, LOOK ALIVE!" Issei yelled as he felt the Miasma signature of Beelzebub getting closer. His signature still sent shivers up Issei's spine. How can someone's energy feel so vile and dark?

"Hey guys," a voice called out in between them. They all jumped apart from each other and saw Beelzebub standing in the middle with a menacing smile.

"Beelzebub," Rias growled.

"Lance," Beelzebub said, ignoring her. Lance glared at Beelzebub as he flipped him the bird. Issei quickly dashed over to save Lance but he was too late. Beelzebub raised his hand and a spear of darkness extended itself from Beelzebub's hand and impaled Lance through the chest.

"NOOO!" Issei yelled.

Issei quickly aimed the Colt at Beelzebub and prepared to pull the trigger only for the Colt to fly out of his hand and into Beelzebub's.

"Are you old enough to be playing with this?" he said mockingly. He raised his hand slightly and sent them all flying backward. Issei crashed headfirst into a tombstone. Issei sat up clutching his bleeding head. He suddenly felt himself get pinned to the stone by an unseen force. He looked up and saw Beelzebub standing over him looking at him with those mocking yellow eyes.

"It's too bad that Lance had to die. He showed so much promise. He even inherited the Power of Luxuria from the blood but it seemed to have no effect due to the fact that he was weak," Beelzebub said.

Issei glared at him.

"Now now, why do you even care that he died. He was going to kill everyone you loved. Especially that little angel you seem to hold dear in your heart. She was going to become his little plaything. I wonder how good her screams would have sounded," Beelzebub said.

His question was answered by Issei ramming his fist into his face forcing the demon to drop the Colt and release the others. Beelzebub crashed into the forest causing the entire area to shake.

"Don't you dare speak about him that way? What do you know about him? About the rest of us? You ruined their lives! You placed my family in danger just by putting this in me! You forced him and people like him to kill children and each other," Issei said.

"It was a culling, Issei. To see who was weak. To see who needed to be weeded out," Beelzebub said.

"You're sick and we're stopping you right here right now!" Issei said, summoning the **[Boosted Gear]**.

"You're welcome to feel free and try," Beelzebub said, levitating into the air. Everyone was pushed back as Beelzebub's oppressive aura exuded from his body.

The final battle against Beelzebub had begun.

* * *

**Almost there guys. After the Beelzebub fight, I will take a short break so I don't experience burnout on this story so please understand. Remember, have a great day/night or not the choice is yours!**


	31. Three Minutes Til Midnight

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Unnamed Cemetery, Wyoming, United States, March 16, 2020, 5:00 PM; Current Time: 3 Minutes Til Midnight**

* * *

Beelzebub stood across from the squads deployed by DxD with a cocky smile on his face. He crossed his arms and eyed them, more specifically eyeing Vali Team and Gremory Peerage. He paid particular attention to Issei.

"How about we get this started eh?" Beelzebub asked as he lowered his arms. At the sight of the gesture, everyone stiffened as he began to slowly walk towards them. Their caution, they felt was completely warranted. The man before them was no Shalba Beelzebub. No, this being was a true monster. A god wearing the skin of a devil. He made Shalba look like a child with the oppressive aura he was radiating. Were they all afraid? A little, but fear was healthy in a situation such as this. Fear stimulates the need to survive. The need to survive fuels the need to fight harder. And it wasn't as if Beelzebub was the strongest opponent they've ever fought. His power was lesser than that of Rizevim Livan Lucifer but the sheer difference in malevolence could be felt.

"Well? Is no one going to take the first shot?" Beelzebub asked.

No one moved. He was baiting them but why? They had the Dragon Emperors on their side as well as the wielder of **[Telos Karma]**. What could he gain by baiting them?

"I guess I'll go first then," Beelzebub said. He took a step and vanished from their sight. He appeared next to Issei and Vali and grabbed them, slamming their skulls into each other. His sudden display of speed surprised them as they never expected him to be so fast. Mitsuki formed an energy blade and swung it at Beelzebub. Beelzebub ducked and threw Vali into her, sending them crashing into the forest.

Rossweisse, Akeno, Le Fay, Rias, and Ingvild summoned and pooled together a massive amount of magical power. A polychromatic, iridescent magic circle appeared in front of them as they fired their combined spell. Everyone moved except for Beelzebub who merely raised his hand and froze the spell in front of him. A massive shockwave flew past him from the force of such a dense ball of energy being stopped so suddenly.

Everyone's eyes widened when the spell fizzled out and turned into streams of light that were rapidly absorbed into Beelzebub's hand.

"A little spicy from the Power of Destruction being added in but I'll take it," Beelzebub said. He quickly dodged when Kiba swung Gram next to his face. The air behind him shifted, causing him to summon two dark blades to intercept the swords of Xenovia and Rikka.

Beelzebub grinned as he raised his hand.

"KIBA! XENOVIA!" Rias yelled.

"RIKKA!" Irina screamed.

An omnidirectional pulse of pure kinetic energy exploded from Beelzebub's form, sending the three flying back.

"Bikou, Kuroka," Arthur said, tightening his grip around Caliburn, "Back me up."

Bikou and Kuroka nodded. Kuroka summoned blue flames to her hand as her left eye turned green. Bikou spun Ruyi Jingu Bang as Arthur took off in a burst of speed towards the Demon Lord. Beelzebub summoned a violet sword and blocked Caliburn. He was surprised when his blade immediately shattered upon making contact with the Holy Sword. He flipped as Arthur swung Caliburn, the swing generating an extremely thin wave of air that sliced apart all of the headstones and trees in its path.

Kuroka and Bikou appeared above Beelzebub, their respective weapons brandished and ready to tear into Beelzebub. Beelzebub rapidly turned and unleashed a massive swathe of darkness at them, pushing them back. He then used his other hand to telekinetically pull Arthur towards him. He slammed his fist into Arthur's torso, breaking five of his ribs and sent the young Pendragon crashing into a tombstone.

"BROTHER!" Le Fay screamed. She growled and glared at Beelzebub. She raised her staff and summoned a massive magic circle. A summoning circle keyed with Fenrir's energy. Sensing the power of the God Eating Wolf from the circle, Beelzebub raised his hand and fired a blast of energy at her. Le Fay dispelled the circle to raise a barrier, deflecting the blast.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Rikka and Bova appeared next to Beelzebub and let loose a series of devastating attacks. Rikka kicked Beelzebub into the air and summoned the Agneyastra, firing it as a massive blast of fire. Bova opened his jaw and fired a meteoric blast of flames.

"WAIT!" Tohka yelled. "He can absorb energy-based attacks!"

Her warning went unheeded as Beelzebub raised his hand and absorbed the flames into himself. He smiled as he righted himself in the air, using his twelve wings as stabilizers.

"Hmm. I can do more than just that," Beelzebub said. He raised his hand once more this time summoning the very flames used to attack him. The flaming sphere grew in size and luminosity, mimicking the very sun itself. The heat that radiated off the sphere was palpable as small plants began to rapidly combust and turn to ash.

"What the…?" Bova said.

"Here. Have a taste of what a combination of Dragon and Divine Fire feels like," Beelzebub said as he fired the flaming sphere at them

"Tohka!" Mica yelled.

"Right!" Tohka said.

The two raised their hands and began to chant a series of indiscernible words. A massive cyan barrier with ancient script revolving around it appeared around the cemetery. The fireball crashed against the sphere, grinding against it before exploding. The explosion engulfed the entire area reducing of ninety kilometers of the forest into nothing but ash.

Tohka and Mica fell to their knees, panting as the barrier fell apart. Rias and the others gawked at the pure destruction that had been wrought. Where there were once trees and animals was nothing but a barren wasteland. Beelzebub hovered above them, eyeing them carefully. Devils and spirits still poured from the door that Risa was so desperately trying to close. She was close. She could feel it. Just a few more runes and she would be able to close the door and alter the key.

Beelzebub appeared behind her and summoned a darkness blade. She glanced over her shoulder, feeling his presence. She could do nothing but embrace death but at least, she would be able to close the door at the cost of her life. As he swung the blade down, a boot made contact with Beelzebub's face, sending him flying and crashing into the ground, skidding for several hundred meters into the distance.

Issei appeared in front of Risa and smiled. "Just close that door! We'll take care of him!"

Vali and Mitsuki landed next to Issei.

"Ready?" Issei asked.

"You bet," Vali said.

"It's just like the Evil Dragon War all over again," Mitsuki said.

"**I, who is about to awaken,**

"**Am the White Dragon Emperor who will take the law down to the darkness.**

"**I walk the road of domination with infinite destruction and by piercing through the imaginary dream.**

"**I shall become a pure Emperor of White Dragon**

"**And I shall have you obey the silvery-white illusions and the perfect evil ways!**" Vali chanted.

**(Juggernaut Over Drive!)** Albion announced. Vali's entire form glowed with a bright silver light as Vali became clad in the familiar armor of the **(Divine Dividing's)** Scale Mail. The armor underwent a drastic color shift as it changed from white to silver.

"**Telos Karma: Crossed Fates Form Verdandi!**" Mitsuki said. Her clothing changed into the armor she wore during the Azazel Cup as she began to levitate in the air. The golden metallic feathers shifted as they poised themselves to strike at Beelzebub.

"I guess it's my turn then huh?" Issei said.

**(What are you going for Issei?) **Mastema asked as she hovered next to him.

"_The Satan Breaker,_" Issei said. Issei's eyes glowed as he became clad in demonic dragon-like armor.

"**Chaos Break: Satan Drive**," Issei announced.

"Oh? This is the synchronization of the Shevirat Ha-Kelim and the **[Boosted Gear]**? How interesting," Beelzebub said. He raised his hand and summoned several javelins that were comprised of pure shadows. He threw his hand forward and launched the spears at them.

**(Divide!) (Divide!) (Divide!) (Divide!) (Divide!) (Divide!) (Divide!) (Divide!) (Divide!)**

Beelzebub's eyes narrowed as Vali's wings glowed, rapidly reducing his volley of javelins into nothing. He flew back as Issei swung his fist, narrowly missing his head. The force of the swing created a massive wave of air that pushed the Demon Lord back.

Beelzebub quickly reacted as he parried one of Mitsuki's feathers. She raised her hand and a green magic circle appeared.

"**Space-Time Tuning Circle: Time Fracture!**"

A green wave burst from the magic circle as the world slowly began to dull in color. Beelzebub's eyes widened when Issei's fist slammed into the side of his face. He grunted in pain as a barrage of punches from Issei impacted his entire body. He gritted his teeth. He needed to stop this farce. As he went to move, Vali slammed into him and shot into the air.

"Take this!" Vali yelled as he shot past Beelzebub, tearing a massive hole in his side. Beelzebub gasped in pain before sensing a massive pulse of pressure coming to his side. He turned and saw a bolt of violet energy slam into his body, sending him high into the Earth's atmosphere where an explosion shattered the sky and cast a massive violet light over the area. Color returned to the world as Mitsuki dispelled the magic circle.

"Did they take him out?" Tatsuya asked as he held a flaming sword next to him.

"I don't know," Rias said.

Issei, Mitsuki, and Vali all stood ready. They knew that Beelzebub wasn't dead yet. If the man managed to survive for that long, then a combined attack wouldn't be enough to do him in but it would sure as hell leave him extremely injured. Their next attack would be the one to destroy him. They would guarantee it.

"There," Issei said, pointing to a small speck in the sky.

Beelzebub gritted his teeth as blood poured from his mouth. The damn wielder of Telos Karma knew space-time magic. He had been caught off guard by that time slow spell and had sustained a considerable amount of damage if his missing arm and legs were any indication. Some of his wings were also destroyed, leaving him with only four wings. He would heal but he would need to buy himself a bit of time for his healing factor to finish its job. Smoke poured in volumes from Beelzebub's injured body parts as his limbs began to grow back.

He moved as Issei shot past him. Seeing this as an opportunity to accelerate his healing. He grabbed Issei's leg with his other arm and began to sap energy from him. Issei's eyes widened when he felt his energy deplete at an alarming rate. He turned to see Beelzebub holding his leg and promptly kicked him in the face. The force of the kick forced Beelzebub to drop Issei's leg and stagger back but the damage had already been done. With the energy Beelzebub stole from Issei, his damaged parts were almost fully regrown.

"DON'T LET UP!" Issei yelled as he rushed Beelzebub. Beelzebub began to block Issei's blows, countering with some of his own. Behind him, Rikka appeared and slashed her swords at him. Beelzebub's eyes glowed as Rikka's swords were stopped in mid swing. He kicked Issei way and summoned a dark sphere of energy to fire at Rikka. Rikka twisted her body out of the way and flew back.

Beelzebub made to pursue and kill her when a massive water serpent swallowed Beelzebub whole. He scoffed. He could just absorb this technique. A red glow caught his attention as he glanced to his left and saw Rias through the dragon's translucent skin. She held a small power of destruction orb in front of her and began to charge it. The hyper-dense sphere of magic began to warp the light around it as its G-Force increased.

"**Pseudo Singularity**," Rias whispered as she fired the sphere into the snake. The sphere exploded, pulling everything in from the charred topsoil to even some of the tombstones. Beelzebub desperately tried to avoid the sphere only to fail and get sucked in.

"Akeno! Don't let him recover!" Rias yelled. Akeno nodded and fired a torrent of Holy Lightning. Asia and Eren assisted alongside Rossweisse who unleashed a hail of magical spells. Irina compressed a massive sphere of light between her hands and fired it into the water dragon.

As the attacks were pulled into Rias's Singularity, the dragon emitted a massive shockwave.

"Shit!" Ingvild cursed as her dragon dispelled. Rias's Singularity warped and fluctuated as the pull grew stronger. This time, everyone, was being pulled in, even the escaping devils.

Everyone flared their auras as they tried to keep away from the sphere. After a few moments, the sphere emitted a small pulsating violet light and the orb completely collapsed into a small black and red marble that hovered above Beelzebub's hand. In his other hand was a compressed sphere of their spells. He smiled as he crushed the orb, absorbing it into his body which had been fully healed. He raised his other hand, containing the spells and fired them.

"Get down!" Yuu raised his hand and formed a massive golden barrier around them.

"Let me help," Le Fay said as she cast a secondary barrier around Yuu's. The conglomerate of spells smashed into Le Fay's barrier, causing cracks to appear.

"Damnit!" Irina said as she glanced at her bracelets.

_Sync myself with my soul! SYNC SYNC SYNC!_ Irina chanted frantically.

"BEELZEBUB!" Issei engaged Beelzebub in an aerial fistfight, taking great care not to add any energy to his attacks as to not give the Old Maou any energy to amplify his strength or heal himself.

**[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**

Issei boosted twenty times and threw a punch at Beelzebub. The old maou dodged it and placed his palm in front of Issei's torso.

"Heh!" Beelzebub laughed as Rias's Power of Destruction formed in his palm. Issei's eyes widened as he was sent crashing into the ground.

"ANIKI!" Mitsuki yelled. She charged at Beelzebub, not giving him any room to breathe. Beelzebub dodged and evaded her attacks. Her speed was annoying. She blitzed him at every turn, landing more attacks on him than he could dodge or block. If things didn't get worse for the Demon Lord, Vali capitalized on this and began to blitz Beelzebub as well. Beelzebub found himself caught between two extremely powerful devils, blocking their attacks. He roared and unleashed a shockwave of energy that knocked them back.

"Why won't you scum just lay down and die!?" Beelzebub yelled. He appeared in front of Vali, catching the Devil off guard by his sudden increase in speed. He grabbed Vali's helmet and slammed his head into the ground at high speeds. The ground shook from the force of the impact as a large crater formed in the charred forest floor. Mitsuki appeared behind Beelzebub in order to rescue Vali.

The demon was prepared for her attack and swung his fist, slamming his arm into her torso. She coughed and was sent flying into the cemetery, crashing into a tombstone.

"Stay down this time girl!" Beelzebub said as he raised his free hand. He fired a bolt of dark energy at the helpless Mitsuki.

Mitsuki gritted her teeth as she saw the energy coming for her.

_Redirect!_ Mitsuki mentally yelled. However, she didn't need to activate her Sacred Gear. A blur of blue shoved Mitsuki out of the way and reappeared a few feet away from the destroyed area.

Mitsuki's eyes widened when she saw Irina standing by her. Irina's hair had been dyed silver as her ponytails disappeared. Her eyes shifted from violet to gold with small targeting reticles that surrounded her pupil. Her exorcist combat gear changed color and now possessed white accents. The combat gear parted in the middle, revealing some of her cleavage. Sleeves that were open at her shoulder covered her arms and a high collar with a large blue gem hanging in the middle appeared. Her boots changed from black to white and a fauld that had blue feathers and was decorated with gems and gold accents appeared. Behind her, there were two extra pairs of wings, from her usual six. Her halo also drastically enlarged and became large enough to fit several dinner plates.

Beelzebub eyed the girl as she turned her smoldering golden gaze on him.

"**Dawn Breaker: Code Seraphina**," Irina announced.

"She unlocked her Codification? At this time? Talk about luck," Mica said.

"The stress must have forced her to unlock it," Ingvild said.

"Let's just hope she can last long enough to allow us to recover a little," Rikka said.

"Don't worry. My Sacred Gear's Balance Breaker should be able to get everyone back to peak condition," Asia said as she activated **[Twilight Healing's]** Balance Breaker. Her nun outfit disappeared as she became clad in a revealing golden armor that resembled that of a valkyrie's.

Eren turned away as she stood next to him, raising her arm to emit a healing field. Her eyes caught him as she smiled.

"I don't mind if it's you," she said meekly.

"No flirting on the battlefield you two," Ingvild said as she felt her wounds heal.

"Good thing Asia's here. Our ultimate support mage," Bikou said.

A large noise alerted them back to the fight.

This was inconceivable. All of this was. This angel that stood by Issei's side. He was so sure that she wasn't a danger but here she was, inflicting damage on him. Every hit with that damned holy blade of hers was like a sting but a million stings could prove fatal, especially if they all happened simultaneously.

Irina deftly evaded one of Beelzebub's swipes.

"**Flash: Phantom Claiomh Solais!**" Irina muttered as she swung Hauteclere a million times within the span of an instant. Beelzebub recoiled in pain as several cuts appeared all over his body. His regeneration kicked in as his wounds began to heal rapidly. He roared and formed a blade from pure energy and swung his blade at Irina.

Irina blinked out of existence and appeared behind Beelzebub.

"**Thousand Star**," Irina yelled as she slammed her palm into Beelzebub's back. A thousand explosions happened all at once and sent Beelzebub flying.

"HOW!?" Beelzebub yelled as he righted himself in mid-air. His eyes spotted the small logo on her bracelet.

"Blacklight," Beelzebub growled. "How much more are they going to keep interfering!?"

"More and more," Rikka whispered.

Rias raised her hand and coated Obsidian Rite with the Power of Destruction. She swung the blade and inflicted a deep wound on his back. Beelzebub gritted his teeth and kicked her away.

* * *

"Milady," Naamah said, bowing before a white-haired woman who sat in the air. The woman observed the battle with great intensity as her toxic yellow eyes drank in the information of the combatants.

"Naamah," she said.

"If I may ask Elder Sister Lilith, why aren't we assisting Beelzebub?" Naamah asked.

"Beelzebub knew what he was getting into the moment he stepped foot in the graveyard to face them. If he dies, then it shall be extremely unfortunate," Lilith said as she placed her hand on her cheek in a bored manner.

"Wouldn't it benefit us more if he were to survive?" Naamah asked.

"Perhaps but he has harmed Issei in a way that I won't even bat an eyelash at killing him at this point," Lilith said as she conjured a small doll of Beelzebub and gripped it. The doll glowed with a dull violet glow before breaking down into nothingness, erased from existence at all levels of existence.

Naamah gulped in fear as an intense killing aura radiated from Lilith's body. Naamah found herself being assaulted with all the trauma she had suffered. The horrific acts that had been done to her by the Cadre Kokabiel. She shuddered and a tear streaked down her face as an image of her deceased lover appeared in her head.

"Oh? Did I bring up some unpleasant memories?" Lilith asked, glancing at her over her shoulder.

"N- NO! I'm completely fine, big sister!" Naamah whimpered.

Lilith sighed and flew over to her, pulling Naamah into a comforting hug. Naamah closed her eyes as she felt Lilith's maternal warmth washed over her.

"Shhh… you'll be okay, Naa," Lilith whispered. She pulled away and focused her attention back on the fight.

* * *

Beelzebub was sent sliding back as Vali slammed his fist into his chest. He jumped out of the way as Mitsuki attempted to kick him in the head. Rias and Kiba sent a flurry of attacks at Beelzebub forcing him to weave around their attacks.

"GODDAMNIT ALL!" Beelzebub yelled as he took to the air. He craned his neck as he dodged a punch from Issei. Issei began to trade blows with Beelzebub. Fist collided with fist as shockwaves shook the entire area.

"GO TO HELL!" Issei roared as he punched Beelzebub in the face. Beelzebub staggered back a few steps. He looked up and glared at Issei as he growled.

"To think that I've been pushed this far," Beelzebub said. "Very well then."

"What are you…?" Issei said.

"Oh?" Lilith raised an eyebrow.

"GRAAAAGGGHHHH!" Beelzebub roared as his body became shroud in violet energy. Issei and the others were pushed back by the sheer intensity of such power.

**(Vali. This is bad. His power is constantly rising with each passing second. At this rate, he'll surpass the Maou in power of this keeps up)** Albion warned.

"What?" Rias looked at Vali shocked.

"The Qliphoth Mode," Eren said.

"Like Natalia-sensei?" Asia asked.

Eren nodded grimly as the aura intensified.

"We have to stop him," Mitsuki said. She and Vali took off towards Beelzebub in order to interrupt his transformation. The others followed suit with the sole exception of Eren and Asia.

"Why aren't you… they can't stop it can they?" Asia asked.

"No, he's past the point of stopping. After this… we're doomed," Eren said.

True to his statement, everyone was pushed back as Beelzebub's body emitted a massive wave of power that threw them all back.

Beelzebub hovered in mid-air. His wings were fully spread, casting a shadow over the land. His white hair fluttered in the breeze as his yellow eyes began to glow malevolently. He became clad in silver armor that exposed his chest. The armor had indecipherable runes that none of them could understand embedded into them. Purple lines of energy traced themselves on his armor.

"**Qliphoth: Chaigidel.**"

A green aura manifested around Beelzebub as he raised his hand at them.

"GET DOWN!" Isse yelled as several green insectoid creatures made of pure energy manifested around Beelzebub. The insects took off, swarming them as the group desperately tried to defend themselves.

Issei punched and kicked, killing all the insects that were sent at them.

Kuroka raised her palm and unleashed a swarm of blue flames that scattered across the field, killing as many of the insects as she could. Beelzebub narrowed his eyes as he snapped his fingers. The remaining insects responded by absorbing the flames.

"They can absorb our powers too?" Vali asked as he killed another insect.

"This just got more difficult," Mitsuki said.

"**God Killer!**"

Beelzebub felt a series of slashes cut into his back. He turned and slammed a wave of kinetic energy into the offender. The offender twisted out of the way and hovered in the air across from him.

Risa glared at Beelzebub as she leveled Tatsumasa at him.

"Raphael's pet raccoon," Beelzebub said. Risa's tail stiffened at his words.

"I'm not a pet," Risa growled as she took a stance.

"Just merely stating a fact," Beelzebub said, raising his hand. A series of darkness spears manifested and launched themselves at Risa. Risa's eyes widened as she weaved out of the way and swung Tatsumasa, distorting space and time in front of her, causing the spears to shatter. Risa appeared in front of Beelzebub but was knocked away into the ground. Risa crashed into the ground and got up, glaring at him.

"I see that the door is closed. No matter, I have what I need," Beelzebub said, hovering over them. "I have no more use for you. However, Red Dragon. You shall live for the sole purpose of suffering as I make you watch the death of your friends."

**[This is bad Issei. In his current state, he's surpassed Sirzechs in power]** Ddraig said.

"Who cares? We've fought worse and came out on top! I'm not letting him have his way with us and the rest of the world," Issei said.

**|Issei. We've gone past the time limit of this form. If you keep this up, the strain will severely damage your body!|** Tiamat said.

"I don't care," Issei said as red aura surrounded him. The aura was weak and flickered.

Beelzebub hovered there as Issei slammed his fist into the side of his face. He didn't so much as flinch from the impact. Issei fell to the ground and landed on all fours. He looked at the charred earth and shakily held up his hand.

"W- What? Why do I feel so… weak?" Issei asked.

Behind him, the others began to stagger and fall to the ground, causing Beelzebub to laugh hysterically.

"Hahaha! My very aura in this form symbolizes the concept of Gluttony itself! While I'm in this form, your energy will be constantly drained while you're in my presence," Beelzebub said.

"Goddamnit!" Issei said. He weakly raised his hand and fired a **[Dragon Shot]** at Beelzebub. Beelzebub raised his hand and absorbed the blast. He landed in front of Issei, looking down on him.

"You know Issei… I was really hoping that you'd come around and join me. You should have realized that there was no hope of you ever winning this fight. You might have defeated Rizevim but… I'm no Rizevim. I have eons of experience on that child so whatever made you think that this fight was going to turn out the same way?" Beelzebub asked.

"G- Go to Hell," Issei said.

"Been there done that. By the way, do they know?" Beelzebub asked.

Issei's eyes widened. He looked up at Beelzebub, who had a sick grin on his face.

"They don't? Oh, this is rich! Ahahaha! No one was suspicious of this? How Mitsuki suddenly came back to life without an explanation?" Beelzebub said, cackling like a madman.

Mitsuki glanced at her brother, who shook in anger. Everyone else looked at Issei, wondering what was happening. The reality of the situation suddenly hit them as they realized what just happened. Mitsuki had come back to life in perfect condition with no explanation as to how. Or perhaps they already knew that deep down inside, Issei had something to do with this and that… whatever price he was going to pay or paid, it wasn't going to be pleasant for him in the end.

"Tell me, how long do you get?" Beelzebub asked.

"...," Issei remained silent.

"Oh? Not going to say anything? Ten years? One year? Five?" Beelzebub asked.

"No way," Rikka gasped, connecting the dots.

Irina glanced over at her.

"What? What's going on?" Irina asked.

"He… He made a deal to bring Mitsuki back to life," Rikka said.

"W- What?" Irina felt her entire world shatter at Rikka's words.

"Not going to say?" Beelzebub asked. He sighed and walked over to Mitsuki, who backed away slightly. She hid her hand behind her back and readied whatever power she had left into this strike. However, she needed to distract him.

"Tell me. Do you know what happened back in that town?" Beelzebub asked.

"N- No," Mitsuki said, partly to keep him rambling, partly to find out what he was going on about.

"Well, to put it simply, you died saving your brother," Beelzebub said.

Mitsuki's eyes widened as memories of the pain that very moment came rushing to the front of her mind. She closed her eyes and shook her head, reminding herself of what she was attempting to do.

"I see that you remember," Beelzebub said. "It's ironic."

"What is?" Mitsuki asked.

"You sacrificed your life so that Issei could live and what does he do? Take that sacrifice and spit on it," Beelzebub said.

"Get to the point," Mitsuki said, the ferocity of her glare intensifying.

"Hmph, rather impatient I see. Very well then, your sacrifice was in vain. Issei will die within a period of time that he is unwilling to disclose though if I were to bet, I'd guess that he has at most… less than five years considering how high-profile your soul was and how much of a high-profile soul Issei would be hooked up to the meat rack within Be'er Shacath," Beelzebub said.

"Shut up," Mitsuki said lowly.

"What was that?" Beelzebub asked.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" she yelled, swinging her arm. She caught Beelzebub off-guard as her energy blade sliced his throat open. He stumbled back, smoke pouring from his throat as it began to heal.

"I.. nsole..nt!" Beelzebub gasped as his vocal cords began to knit themselves back together.

**[Issei! Now's your chance! Attack!]** Ddraig urged.

"_Right! But this attack will reduce my energy!" _Issei said.

**(JUST DO IT!)** Mastema yelled.

Issei shot off towards Beelzebub, slamming an armored fist into the side of his face. Beelzebub flew off, crashing into the ground and sliding several hundred meters before coming to halt. Issei landed in front of Mitsuki.

"Mitsuki," Issei said.

"We'll talk about it later," she said, deploying her blades.

"Irina? Rossweisse?" Issei glanced over at them.

The two remained silent, preferring to ready themselves for battle.

"Now's not the time to discuss this Issei. Right now, we need to get ready. Besides, I noticed something. When you knocked him away, my energy stopped depleting," Vali said.

"Meaning?" Issei asked.

"His draining aura only works within a certain range. All we have to do is keep out but then we'd be unable to attack due to him being able to absorb ranged attacks of any kind," Vali said.

"So what do we do?" Eren asked.

"I'll go into **{Diabolos Dragon Lucifer}** and use my Satan Compression Divider to negate his aura. That way, we can go in and deal damage to him," Vali said.

"Why can't we just use it to divide him out of existence?" Rias asked.

"Because there's the chance that he'll be able to absorb it and redirect it at us," Vali said. "You saw it earlier. He consumed the flames of a divine sword and used them against us. I'm just being cautious."

"Right," Issei said. "So… me and Mitsuki go in and deal heavy damage after you compress it?"

Vali nodded.

"Seems like a plan-!" Issei fell to his hands and knees as pain coursed through his body.

**[Your body's reached its absolute limit maintaining this form. It's been several minutes since you activated it]** Ddraig said.

"_My limit had to be reached now of all times!"_ Issei growled as he struggled to keep himself on all fours. His armor flickered with a few orange flashes before disappearing.

"Your body's reached its limit with that form?" Vali asked.

"What do we do now?" Mitsuki said.

"We continue. Rias. That other form of yours? Can you and Mitsuki deal major damage to him?" Vali asked.

Rias nodded. "Count on me."

A massive cloud of dust and debris exploded in the distance as a green streak shot into the sky and hovered there for several seconds.

"How many times must they get in the way? Over and over and over!" he growled. "No more!"

"Look out!" Mitsuki yelled as Vali's face was suddenly covered by Beelzebub's hand.

_Albion!_ Vali thought. His armor became silvery-white as jet-black accents appeared on the arms, legs, and torso of the armor. Twelve draconic wings burst from Vali's back as he held his hand out.

**{Satan Compression Divider!}**

Beelzebub let Vali go as his entire draining shroud was divided into nothingness. He growled as he glared at the descendant of Lucifer.

"Insolent," Beelzebub said. He flickered out of existence, causing Vali to go on guard. He turned, barely dodging Beelzebub's attack.

**{DIVIDE}**

Beelzebub's eyes widened when his power was cut in half. He slammed his fist inot the helmet of Vali's armor, shattering it and sending the White Dragon Emperor flying.

"Insolent fool!" Beelzebub said, forming a darkness sphere. Mitsuki and Rias appeared right next to him with their respective attacks ready.

"Take this!" Rias slammed a crimson orb into his chest which sent him, flying into the air.

"**Black Hole!**" Rias closed her fist as the sphere expanded, producing a strong pull.

"**Ad Astra!**" Mitsuki said. Her clocks began to glow as several portals opened around the sphere. Energy blasts bombarded the black hole, causing the sky to light up brightly.

"GRAAGHH!" the black hole cracked before shattering, the remaining magical blasts being absorbed into Beelzebub.

"YOU CAN HAVE IT BACK!" he yelled.

"**Thousand Star!**"

Beelzebub felt a series of explosions on his back, sending him crashing into the ground. He quickly recovered only to find himself bound by several plants.

"NOW!" Eren yelled as he held the plants together.

Rossweisse pointed her Mistleinn Wand and cast an extremely powerful explosion spell. Le Fay and Akeno enhanced the spell, casting a wind spell and lightning spell respectively. A massive flaming tornado appeared, consuming Beelzebub as barrages of holy lightning struck the defenseless Maou.

A buzzing noise was heard inside the roar of the flames and the crashing of thunder. Their eyes widened as the elemental cyclone was ruptured by a swarm of flies.

Tohka fired a lightning blast at one of the flies, causing it to explode violently.

"DON'T LET THEM TOUCH YOU!" she yelled.

"**Satan Compression Divider!**"

A silvery-white flash of light erased every fly in existence. Vali appeared in front of them, holding his arm out.

"_How much longer?_" Vali asked.

**{Six more minutes}** Albion responded.

Issei sat, using a gravestone as support. His body was weakened from the strain of maintaining his Satan Drive for too long. He needed to find a way to help them. As he thought of ideas, he remembered Lance's words.

_And that Gun that opens the door is one of the only things that can kill him_.

Issei pulled the Gun out of his pocket and checked the chamber. It had one ammo left so he needed to make this count. He gritted his teeth as he slowly got to his feet. Above him, Beelzebub clashed with Vali with the assistance of Arthur, Bikou, Mitsuki, Xenovia, Kiba, Bova, Rikka, and Irina while the others supported them from the ground. He found Le Fay next to Kuroka, who was sending a volley of violet orbs at Beelzebub.

"Le Fay. Kuroka," Issei said, limping over to them.

"Issei?" Le Fay stopped casting and glanced over at Issei.

"How good are your illusion spells?" he asked.

"They're pretty good… why?" she asked.

"I can cast good ones too," Kuroka offered as she fired another spell at Beelzebub. The spell hit him, unable to the fact that he was fending off several fighters at once.

"I need you guys to do something for me and to lend me enough energy for this next part," he said.

* * *

Beelzebub blocked another attack from Bikou and Arthur, using darkness tendrils to restrain them. The White Dragon Emperor's **{Divide}** and **{Compression Divider}** were becoming extremely annoying.

"Take this!" Beelzebub fired an energy blast at Vali.

**{Reflect}**

Vali's wings glowed as a translucent barrier formed around him, deflecting the blast.

Beelzebub growled, disappearing in a burst of speed. He slammed his fist into Vali's chest, breaking one of the gems. Vali staggered back before he found himself being clotheslined by Beelzebub.

"VALI!" Mitsuki yelled. She appeared next to Beelzebub and performed a roundhouse kick. Beelzebub dodged the attack, grabbing her leg and throwing her into the ground. He sped past the others, releasing a telekinetic burst that knocked them all back. Beelzebub landed on Mitsuki's torso, shattering several of her ribs in the process.

"GAAH!" Mitsuki screamed in agony.

"NEE-SAN!"

Asia manifested a golden bow and prepared to fire a healing arrow at Mitsuki when she felt someone rush past her.

Beelzebub turned and saw Issei in his **[Balance Breaker]**. Beelzebub chuckled as he dodged the attack effortlessly. He kept dodging Issei's attacks before finally growing bored.

He formed a darkness blade surrounding his hand and shoved his hand through Issei's chest. Beelzebub smirked and everyone's eyes widened in horror.

"ISSEI!" the girls yelled with Irina, Rossweisse, Kuroka, and Rias being the loudest.

"AHAHAHA! Nice try boy! Any last words before I take my hand out of your chest?" Beelzebub said as he held Issei up. Issei coughed up some blood and said the last words he would ever hear.

"Yeah… surprise motherfucker!" he said as he flickered out of existence. Beelzebub's eyes grew wide when he heard a gunshot. He looked down and saw a bullet hole in his chest with a bullet embedded deep inside the wound. He turned his gaze to Issei who stood across from him staring with hate in his eyes. The Colt's barrel was smoking. Beelzebub stumbled back, clutching his chest. Using the energy that Kuroka and Le Fay had lent to him, Issei disappeared in a burst of speed and reappeared in front of Beelzebub with his hand, which was coated in the Power of Destruction, shoved through the demon's chest.

Beelzebub's wide eyes glowed yellow as he felt his life force ebbing. Issei pulled his hand out and Beelzebub fell to the ground with a gaping hole in the left side of his chest. The same area where Mitsuki was impaled. His Qliphoth Form dispelled as he felt his life leaving him.

"I… lost?" Beelzebub said.

Issei looked down at him and offered him no pity as he looked at the Prime Demon with hate in his eyes.

"Heh, those eyes… so full of hate," Beelzebub wheezed. "But it's not over… Issei."

His voice began to grow fainter as his eyes began to cloud up. He began to whisper something that only Issei heard due to close proximity.

"_Hith-'o-rehr, shqodh… ki'o-yivkha Has-Sa-tan, k'ar-yeh sho-'ehgh, mith-hal-lehkh, u-mvaq-qehsh 'eth asher, yval-leha_," he whispered.

**(****Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the Devil, as a roaring lion, ****walketh about, seeking whom she may devour) **Mastema said.

"_A warning?_" Issei asked.

Mastema remained silent.

"Is he?"

Issei turned around and saw Irina and the others looking at Beelzebub's corpse.

Issei smiled.

"Yeah, he's gone," Issei said.

"WE FUCKING DID IT!" Bikou cheered. Everyone let out sighs of relief and cheers as they celebrated the aversion of another global crisis.

As they celebrated, Issei walked over to Eren, who was conversing with Yuu and Xenovia. He placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, startling him.

"Good job, Eren," Issei said. "You really held your own out there."

"Thanks, Issei," Eren said.

"Issei."

He turned around and saw Irina and Mitsuki standing behind him.

"Can we talk?" Irina asked.

"Sure," Issei said.

"Excuse us," Mitsuki said as they walked off. Rossweisse looked over Rias's shoulder as she saw Issei, Irina, and Mitsuki walking away, no doubt to figure out what Issei had gotten himself into.

"Wanna follow them?" Rias asked.

Rossweisse blinked when she saw Rias staring intently at her. Akeno, Asia, Koneko, and Kiba also gave her a similar look. She nodded and the six snuck off to follow the trio.

Issei walked silently through the charred forest before stopping at a place that he deemed was far enough to have a private conversation.

"So?" Issei asked.

"So? That's all you have to say? So?" Irina asked.

"Y- Yeah," Issei said.

"What's wrong with you!?" she screamed.

"Er…, you'll have to be more specific," Issei said, trying to lighten the mood with a humorous tone.

"Now's not the time to make jokes, Aniki," Mitsuki said.

"Come on, Mii-chan! Irina! We just saved the world, _again_! Can't we at least celebrate before you start to interrogate me?" Issei asked.

"Issei," Mitsuki said. Issei went silent. She never called him by his name before even during the antagonistic period of their lives.

"Did I die?" she asked.

Issei remained silent, staring blankly ahead. Images of her dead body flashed at the forefront of his mind.

"Did you… sell your soul to bring me back?" Mitsuki asked. Irina watched silently as several different emotions flashed through Issei's face in the span of an instant.

"No! Come on! I'm not like those mothers who made those deals with Beelzebub!" Issei said.

"Tell me the truth, Issei," Mitsuki said.

Issei remained silent, opting to look away from her eyes. Anywhere but her eyes. He couldn't stand to see the pain. It was bad enough being able to feel her emotions.

Mitsuki sighed and nodded, confirming Irina's worst fears. Irina glanced over at her boyfriend and began to speak.

"H- How long do you get? Did they even ask for your soul?" Irina asked.

"Yeah, they did and… I get one year," Issei said.

"How could you do that?" Mitsuki asked.

"Because it's my job. It's my job to protect-!"

"No, it's not! We made a fucking promise to protect each other no matter what! How am I supposed to fulfill my end of the promise when you go and do this!" she said, shoving Issei. Issei stumbled back and saw the raw pain inside his twin sister's eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she took a step forward.

"You saved me over and over again during the war! And all I did was go and get hurt over and over again! So why, when I had the chance to save you, you went and threw your life away for me! How do you think I feel! I can't bear the thought of a world without you! You're my twin. MY LITERAL OTHER HALF! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE TO EXIST WITHOUT YOU!" Mitsuki screamed, punching him in the gut. Issei doubled over but managed to grab his twin in a hug.

"LET GO OF ME! I HATE YOU!" she yelled weakly pounding her fists on his chest.

"Shhhh… Mii-chan, everything's gonna be okay," Issei said stroking her hair. Mitsuki's screams devolved into sobs as she gripped Issei tightly.

"I don't care what it takes. I'm going to get you out of this," she said looking at him with determination. "I guess this time… I have to save your ass for a change."

Issei smiled and nodded, before pulling out and glancing over at Irina. Her eyes were covered by the shadow cast by her bangs. She walked over and raised her hand, slapping him in the face.

"You idiot… we could've found a way! We could've found another way but you go and do this! And now… you have a year left! What am I supposed to do? Just watch you die!? Did you think about how I would feel? How any of us would feel!?" Irina yelled.

Mitsuki stepped off to the side as Irina ripped into her brother.

"I would do it again… if that were you, I'd do it a thousand times over," Issei said.

"Idiot…," Irina muttered as she began to sob.

"It's okay," Issei said, pulling her into a hug. "We'll get through this. We always do…"

However, his words brought none of them any comfort.

Behind the trees, Rossweisse felt her heart shatter. Rias looked at the ground grimly while Akeno covered her mouth to stifle her sobs. Kiba gritted his teeth and clenched his fists while Gasper cried silently. Koneko stared at the ground in utter shock.

_Issei was going to die?_

* * *

Lilith appeared within the hallway alongside Naamah. She walked silently ahead of Naamah. Naamah tried to speak at several points but she found herself at a loss as what to say to her elder sister. The pair arrived at a pair of massive ebony metal doors that were intricately designed with violet roses on the door. The doors opened as Lilith walked in. The room was a massive throne room with a massive red carpet leading to a large black throne. The throne had seven pairs of black angel wings behind it. A massive glowing red ring hovered over the throne.

Lilith walked over to the throne and sat on it while Naamah stood dutifully by her side.

Lilith sat in silence for a few seconds before the doors opened once more.

"Elder Sister… I just got news of your return and I-!" Leviathan's words were cut off.

"He's dead. Beelzebub has died," Lilith said.

"He has… I see," Leviathan said, paying his respects inside his heart to his brother.

"Yes… it was rather unfortunate," Lilith said.

"Yes, it was," he replied.

"Why are you here, Leviathan?" she asked.

"I believe that I have our first target picked out. The forces that were released through that Gate have reached Hoia Baciu Forest in Romania and have activated another Doorway to… Sheol," Leviathan said.

Lilith raised an eyebrow at that.

"Sheol? So that means?" Lilith asked.

"Yes. In addition to the target that I had in mind, I believe that awakening the Second Beast would be beneficial to us. After all, the Second Beast served our mother loyally after all," Leviathan said.

"And our first target?" Naamah asked.

"Lotan," he responded.

"Good," Lilith said. "Prepare the troops."

"Who are we going for first?" Leviathan asked.

"Lotan," Lilith said. "I shall awaken the Second Beast at my own time. For now, let's focus our efforts on Lotan."

"As you wish Elder Sister," Leviathan said. He turned around and left the room.

"Naamah… leave me," Lilith said.

"As you wish," Naamah said. She bowed before walking out of the room. Lilith sat back down on the throne and opened her eyes.

Whispers emanated throughout the throne room. Whispers that only Lilith could hear.

"It was… even if I hated him at that moment. At least, he's at peace now with Ekra," Lilith replied.

More whispers resounded inside the room.

"Yes… I am dissatisfied with who it is… why Issei?" Lilith asked.

She was met with more whispers.

"I know it was written," Lilith said.

The whispers grew more intense, making Lilith wince.

"I know… I know, Mother. Don't worry. We're on track with the plan. Beelzebub's actions have triggered the Fifth Trumpet and soon, I shall trigger the Sixth Trumpet. From then on, we move to the Seals," Lilith said.

The whispers spoke once more.

"Yes, mother. I won't… I won't hesitate," Lilith said.

The whispers spoke louder this time.

"Please have faith in your daughter. Your plan will come to fruition. I shall personally deliver Issei's soul to Hell," Lilith said.

The whispers slowly began to fade as Lilith felt the presence disappear. She rubbed her temples before standing and walking over to a window.

"I hope you're ready, Ise-chan. The War has just begun," Lilith said as she looked out over the massive army of Devils.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**18Andrew: Season 2. Artemis will have a larger presence as well as I will swap out Amatsu-Mikaboshi for Kali as I feel that her relationship with Lucifer and her knowledge of Issei's power would be beneficial to him as a whole in learning to control it. The pendant has no secret meaning. It's just a pendant that Issei gave to her on her birthday... and that's a spoiler for a future flashback...**

**AnimeFan0216: Yeah, I feel as if I made the Original Version of Lance too... psycho? Anyway, he didn't feel natural. I felt as if he was too unnatural in his mood swings to be an actual person though, I know people like that exist... somewhere out there. This Lance, I wanted to be sympathetic to a degree to show how much the other children suffered at the hands of the Games.**

**Scrumblenut: I considered doing it but it didn't fit the plot for the second big arc of the story.**

**E.T 2000: Yes, I am in contact with the author of Change of a Dragon.**

* * *

**Alright. I would like to apologize to all the new readers. I know that coming into this... there are a lot of terms I've thrown in from the original version of the story and someone pointed it out so thank you. First off, I would like to briefly summarize Mitsuki and her character. If you want to read more about her, go to the DxD Fanon Wiki. Anyway, Mitsuki is an _OC_ meaning that she doesn't exist in canon. She's not a real character in the canon plot of the DxD Light Novels (which I assume _most_, not all, _most _of you have read.). I made her balance Issei out a bit... make him less perverted. Yes, I wanted Issei to be less perverted but not so much that he loses his entire character. Issei is still subject to perversion... he's just learning to control it. **

**Rikka, Tohka, and Mica were there to serve as Issei's pull into the Blacklight Organization. They're like his guides within the organization. **

**As for my inspiration for Blacklight, I sort of based it on the SCP Foundation if any of you SCP Fans figured it out over how the files were set up and the amount of secrecy that goes into it. I liked the idea of a secret organization that serves as a buffer between mankind and the Supernatural.**

**As for Beelzebub and his plot, they were heavily inspired by Azazel and Supernatural. That's it. I can assure you that is it... mostly. The entirety of the story's plot is based on concepts of the Book of Revelation in the Bible and how I can change it to fit my narrative for this story.**

**Anyway, for more information, I do have wiki pages on the DxD Fanon wiki so if you want to read anything about the characters go there.**

**Two, this story and Change of a Dragon have nothing in common plot-wise other than the initial part of the First Arc. The overall plot of Change of a Dragon is not the same as this one. This plot is completely different and is something I made up in my free time.**

**Anyway, this story will be going on a short break as I don't want to crash and burn so there will be no updates for this for... a good few weeks. Maybe a month so please go read my other stories while you're waiting for this to update. With this, I shall say goodbye... temporarily of course, and remember to have a great day/night, the choice is yours~!**


	32. A New War On The Horizon

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Unknown Location**

* * *

It had been a while since she had been here. Five hundred years had passed within the blink of her eye and Ophis had found herself walking this place again. Ophis walked or did she even walk at all. Where she was was a location that could not be put into descriptive terms as they would not do the place any justice. There was no such thing as time nor was there a thing as space yet Ophis felt as if she had walked for a million miles without stop but she would never be one hundred percent sure. It had been eons since she had been here, a place where the concept of distance did not exist.

She sensed two massive overwhelming powers greater than her own, even at her prime but she didn't feel any fear. Ophis felt only a warm feeling that she felt she was no longer capable of feeling. Nostalgia and longing. After all, these two signatures were related to her in a way. After what felt like an eternity but in reality could have been three seconds or three decillion years, she happened upon two people sitting and playing chess with each other.

"Regalzeva to E-5," the woman said. The woman in question wasn't a woman at all. She merely took the form of one. She had pink hair with small hair tufts. Her hair was long, reaching down to her waist. She wore white robes that glittered with stars and galaxies slowly moving around. Her eyes were pits that contained a transcendence that surpassed time, space, and the totality of everything. Eyes possessed by a being of supreme power.

"Moving him early? You aren't intending on ending this game quickly are you, Infinity?" the man asked. His appearance was different from the woman. Like her, he wasn't a man at all but merely assumed the form of one. He had shaggy white hair that blew in a nonexistent wind. He wore a white shirt with a black and blue long coat. Like his female counterpart, his coat was decorated like the night sky with galaxies and stars moving around. His eyes were pits that contained a transcendence that surpassed space and time, as well as totality. These eyes possessed supreme power.

"Now, now, Eternity," Infinity said, her eyes shifting color. "I was merely moving him into place…"

Her smile unnerved Ophis extremely. To toy with an entire universe for her own amusement, it was something Ophis had never done as she found it pointless but with the ease and nonchalant attitude she had with it, it bothered her. Perhaps it was just the side she gained from spending so much time with humans that altered her view.

"Hmm… I guess I'll move Resetoras then," Eternity said, moving a piece that resembled a middle-aged man with a white beard.

"Elder Brother, Elder Sister," Ophis said, catching their attention. Eternity turned to face her and sent her a relatively warm smile while Ophis found herself being crushed in a tight hug by Infinity.

"Oh, Ophis-chan! You haven't visited in so long!" Infinity said, rubbing her cheeks against the Primordial Dragon God of Chaos and Infinity.

"Ophis, what is it?" Eternity said, looking over the universe they were currently toying with.

"I need to speak to Elder Sister Nihil," she said, pulling away from Infinity after putting in a significant amount of effort.

"Nihil? Oh, she's still sleeping you know. She's not slated to wake up for the next several…," Infinity said, glancing at her counterpart.

"Three hours. She'll be awake in eight hours," he said.

"I guess I'll wait," Ophis said.

"Wanna watch us play? There's this world we've been playing with for the past three hundred years. The inhabitants call it Evie x Etoulde," Infinity said.

"Sure," Ophis said. She had nothing better to do than wait after all. Wait for a sister that had been asleep for nearly 500 years to finally awaken once more.

* * *

**Japanese Blacklight Headquarters, Kegon Falls, Japan, August 3, 2020, 11:20 AM, Current Time: 2 Minutes and 55 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"Another assignment finished," Issei said as he walked down the hall. Irina smiled as the two made their way to Taki's office. Rikka walked silently in front of them with her katana strapped to her waist. Mitsuki kept her eyes glued to her screen as she read over several files that pertained to their mission.

What was the mission? A few hours earlier, the four were dispatched by Taki to investigate a possible location of demonic activity. Unfortunately, the demonic activity that was detected was nothing more than a few stray devils. They easily dispatched the stray devils that were occupying the area before a peerage had arrived to eliminate them. The mission left them dissatisfied, hoping to find a lead as to where the devils that Beelzebub released went as well as a possible identity to the new threat that he had whispered to Issei.

_Ha-Satan_

"We're here," Rikka said, opening the door. The four walked in to see Taki sitting behind his desk going over several documents. Several holographic screens were open in front of him as the old man worked with a speed and efficiency that Issei had never seen in any other leader. Most leaders that Issei had met tended to be lazy or a pervert or both.

"Old man," Rikka said, catching his attention. Taki looked up and smiled, placing his reports down. He moved his hand, sending all of his screens to the side to allow him to get a better view of them.

"Report," Taki said.

"We didn't find any traces of demons we were looking for in the area, only stray devils from the local peerage that resided there. With that, we decided to eliminate them after we thoroughly interrogated the two to see if they have seen any strange activity at all happening within the area," Rikka said, beginning her report.

"And did they find anything?" Taki asked.

"No. They weren't even aware of what we were talking about. Well, one of them wasn't. The other one had lost themselves to their animalistic instincts and was incapable of giving us an answer that we desired," Rikka said.

"I see," Taki said.

"Taki-sama, if I may," Irina said.

"What is it?" Taki said.

"I believe that we should work with DxD in order to gain more information. I'm not doubting Blacklight's ability to gather information, it's just…," she was cut off as Taki spoke.

"I understand what you mean, however, I will have to confer this to the other members. Without a doubt, Cornelius would approve of this plan but I need to see what the other members see of this," Taki said.

"What about Ha-Satan? Do we have any information about at least?" Mitsuki asked.

"No… not yet at least. For now, all we know is that this Ha-Satan seems to be the one pulling the strings behind everything," Taki said. "For now, go back and attend school. I'll come back to you with what the other members will say after we meet in a few days. Oh, if DxD assigns you any missions, treat it as a mission assigned by me and give me any information gained on said missions."

"Yes sir!" they said.

The four began to leave the room when Taki called out to Issei.

"Issei, stay for a moment please," Issei said.

Irina and Issei paused for a moment before Issei whispered something in her ear and she nodded. Irina left with Mitsuki and Rikka while Issei stayed behind.

"Issei, about your deal," Taki said.

"I'm fine Old Man. I've had a few months to come to terms with this," Issei said.

"Just know that your friends and those three won't stop until you're free from your deal," he said. "We won't stop either."

"Thanks… but that deal seemed pretty concrete," Issei said.

"While it is true that there has never been a demonic deal that has never been broken, that won't stop us from trying," Taki said. "Just remember that we're here for you, Issei."

"Thanks, Old Man," Issei said.

"How many people know?" Issei asked.

"Just Irina, Rikka, and Mitsuki," Issei said.

"I see. Well, I'll contact Dantalion to learn more about deals as well as to contact some other experts on how these things work. Just know that we haven't had to deal with an actual demonic bargain since… before the Great War so information on them might be a little scarce on our side. You might want to speak to someone in the Underworld like one of the Maou or an older devil," Taki said.

"Thanks, Old Man," Issei said.

"No problem. Be careful out there, Issei. This may be the start of a war," Taki said.

Issei nodded and left the room. He was met with the stares of teammates which he ignored as he kept walking. The three looked at each other before running after him.

"What did the old man want to talk to you about?" Rikka asked.

"Oh… just some stuff concerning future missions and our role within DxD," Issei said.

"Did he say anything about your deal?" Irina asked.

"He said that he would contact Dantalion and see if she knows anything. He also said talk to some of the older devils which I won't do since I want to keep this on the down low. I don't want anyone to find out just in case I can't stop it," Issei said.

"Issei, stop talking like that. We'll definitely find a way to break this deal," Irina said.

"Irina's right Aniki. We'll find a way to break this deal," Mitsuki said.

"Let's not focus on that for now. We need to report to the Underworld. Sirzechs-nii contacted us before we got back that there would be a meeting between the Celestial Council for the first time ever," Issei said.

"I thought the meeting location was at Mount Everest?" Mitsuki said.

"It was but the Council Building is behind schedule so it won't be finished for another six months," Rikka said. "That being said, when are we inviting Bova into the group?"

"Why Bova specifically?" Issei asked.

"He helped us with this and I feel like he deserves to know. Plus, wouldn't it be nice to have someone close to a Dragon King as an ally?" Rikka asked, slightly fidgeting with her hair.

**|Oi… this brat. I'm a Dragon King too!|** Tiamat piped up inside Issei.

**[Calm down dear. She didn't mean it]** Ddraig said.

"It would be… as well as give us sway and information within the Dragon Community," Issei said.

"Do you want me to contact Bova?" Irina asked.

"No, I'll go and get Bova myself but I'll do it sometime later. Right now, we need to get to that meeting," Issei said.

* * *

**Ars Nova**

* * *

Sirzechs pinched the bridge of his nose as the deities in front of him argued like a bunch of school children. Next to him, Serafall had long since dozed off while Ajuka was busy tinkering with his tools. Falbium was surprisingly paying attention as he gave Sirzechs a glance. Sirzechs nodded and flared his aura, quieting the room down. The gods stopped their blabbering and turned to face the Crimson Satan.

"Now! As we were saying, we were proposing making DxD the main combat task force for this. Even with Beelzebub gone, we still need to hunt down all the rogue devils that sided with him on this matter. Let me give you all an example!" Sirzechs said. He projected an all too familiar image. The yellow eyes and black hair sent shivers even down the spines of the most powerful chief deities.

"The Eater of Gods, Naamah. Your faction's greatest assassin," Zeus said, stroking his beard.

"Yes, she is still at large as well as the Devils that call themselves the original Gremory, Sitri, and Phenex. Perhaps there's even more out there that we don't know about," Sirzechs said.

"Sirzechs, if I may," Odin said.

"Yes, Lord Odin," Sirzechs said.

"From my understanding, we have severed the head of the snake yet you act as if there is still a threat we need to deal with. Is there something you are aware of that we are not at the moment?" Odin asked, his eye twinkling.

"I agree with Odin," Shiva said. "What's going on, Sirzechs?"

"The warning that Beelzebub gave us before his death. Issei told it to me and we translated it from Hebrew but basically, it refers to a Devil," Sirzechs said.

"So your pantheon is behind another calamity yet again," Indra said, crossing his arms. "And we're left to clean it up."

The other gods chorused in agreement, all turning to glare at the representatives of the Abrahamic Faiths.

"Yes, how do we know that it isn't another Devil with a grudge against you four or a Devil that was insane enough to unleash a terror that can fight equally with the Dragon Gods," a woman said. She possessed sun-kissed blonde hair that reached down to her waist. Her figure was extremely curvaceous, even more so than Asmodeus, who was considered the second most beautiful female devil. Her skin was free of any blemishes on her skin. Unlike what you would expect when one hears her name, her clothes were rather conservative. She wore a black button-up uniform with a green ribbon as well as a black shoulder cape. The uniform had a black brooch with an emerald embedded into the center. Her caramel brown eyes bore into Sirzechs and made him feel small.

"L- Lady Aphrodite. I can assure you. While they are devils-!"

"We do not associate them with our pantheon," A voice spoke up. The gods turned to see Asmodeus sitting in one of the chairs, lazily sipping tea. Mammon and Belphegor sat next to her.

"Niece, how nice of you to join us," Michael said, smiling at Asmodeus.

"Uncle," Asmodeus said, walking down the row.

Aphrodite watched silently as the three walked past her. She sighed and sat back down in her chair.

"The demon we faced, Beelzebub, was the mastermind behind the mass murders that occurred across the globe in which he sent the resurrected clan heads that died during the Great War. With him gone, we've effectively removed the head from the snake wouldn't you all agree?" Asmodeus asked, crossing her arms.

The gods began to whisper amongst each other before nodding in agreement at her words.

"However, it isn't the end. As Sirzechs said, the fact that Naamah and the others are still at large presents an opportunity for new leadership among them. To claim the title that all Devils recognize as the Supreme Ruler," Asmodeus said.

"Ha-Satan," Parvati said. "Luci-chan's old title."

"A defunct title," Kali said. "Only a member of Ellie's seven eldest is capable of claiming that title like you, Asmodeus."

"I'm flattered that you think I'm able to assume that title but I cannot for I am not the oldest," she said.

Kali's eyes widened at the implications of her words. Her parents also narrowed their eyes as did Ra, Odin, and a few other gods. Michael placed his hand on his chin, already knowing who she referred to.

"The true head of the snake," Kali said, sighing. "If you're right about this, you know that we are in a war against what we, even now, consider the Ultimate Demon."

"I am very aware," Asmodeus said. "Which is why we can't afford to look weak. Right now, from what I see, this council is a disordered front. When the Elder Gods united in the past, the world and human advancement accelerated but now…"

"Are you saying that we are incapable of working together?" one god asked.

"I am," she said. "Judging from how long and what Sirzechs-chan had to do to calm you down."

"Lady Asmodeus, we're getting off track," Sirzechs said.

"My apologies," she said, taking a seat within the Biblical Pantheon's tables.

"As I was saying earlier, I propose to make hunting down Beelzebub's cohorts their top priority," Sirzechs said.

"What of the remaining members of Khaos Brigade that are scattered across the world?" another deity asked.

"We shall keep that as a priority but for now, we need to keep this from escalating into something we can no longer handle," Sirzechs said.

The gods looked at each other, mumbling as they contemplated Sirzechs' proposal. He gulped, feeling nervous. He needed them to accept this proposal or else they could have something far worse than the Evil Dragon War on their hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder and instantly calmed down. He looked to his side and saw his mentor, Mammon, standing next to him.

"Remember what I taught you," she said.

"A calm mind," Sirzechs said, "Is your greatest weapon."

"Good," she said.

"Lord Sirzechs."

He turned to see Aphrodite standing before them. She looked at him with dull eyes that had been worn down with years of pain and heartache.

"We accept and are placing our full support with your idea. Father and Sister Athena have offered a proposition that Artemis be allowed to lead a squadron of our own choosing with DxD as to cement our pantheon's contribution to the Anti-Terror Organization," Aphrodite said.

Sirzechs blinked and nodded gratefully. "We humbly and graciously accept your terms."

"Don't thank us," Zeus said. "We're doing this because it's the right thing to do and besides, if a war happens, I'll have less time to sample all the beauties of the world- OW!"

Zeus turned to see Aphrodite holding a frying pan. She glared at her father, causing him to shut up.

"I am very sorry for my father's degenerate comments, Sirzechs," Aphrodite said.

"It's fine Milady," he replied.

"Sirzechs, we, the Hindu Pantheon, place our support behind you," Shiva said, "As we did during the Evil Dragon War."

"Don't mistake this as a handout, bat," Indra said.

"Ara, little Indra, don't be rude," Parvati said, smiling.

"As my mother and father said, we shall support you. I, myself, shall become a part of DxD," Kali said, causing Sirzechs to smile.

"We, the Egyptian Pantheon, also place our support," Ra said.

"As does the Norse. Issei still owes me a couple of panties. We can't have that if there's an outbreak of war going on," Odin said, snickering. His wife, Frigga, sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

One by one, more and more pantheons agreed until it was an overwhelming majority vote with only fifteen pantheons not agreeing to Sirzechs's terms.

"Lord Rudianos, you didn't agree?" Sirzechs said.

Rudianos was a man who wore black and white robes. His right arm was wrapped in bandages and his right eye was covered by bandages. In his left hand, he had a cane and sported an x shaped scar on his chin.

"I believe that this is pointless. What would the point be in going to war with the combined might of the world's gods," Rudianos said.

"We don't know. They haven't made any moves yet. No amount of scrying, sensor magic, or clairvoyance from any pantheon has located them so either they're biding their time or they're not planning to attack at all though I'm doubtful at the possibility of the latter being a choice of action for them," Ajuka said.

"What's your point?" Rudianos asked.

"My point is that they can strike anytime they want and we won't even know it. They're a hidden enemy that we need to be constantly be prepared for. You're a God of War, you should know that this is a basic tactic to do against a hidden enemy," Ajuka said.

"We can also lure them out. Think, what could they possibly be after?" Athena pointed out.

"Until we can figure out a motive, we can't make any moves. Why did Beelzebub release the demons?" Odin asked.

"We don't know," Michael said. "We are just as much in the dark as the rest of you. We haven't had any new information other than that warning Issei gave us from Beelzebub about a new Ha-Satan."

"Any progress on that by the way?" Shiva asked. "I thought if anyone would be the new Ha-Satan, it would be Asmodeus-chan."

"Ehh? Me? No, no, I'd rather not. I'm retired," Asmodeus said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Can we get back to the topic at hand?" Aphrodite said.

"Of course. Would anyone like to bring anything up relating to today's topic?" Sirzechs asked.

"No, I believe that we have nothing else to say on this matter Little Sirzechs," Parvati said, calmly sipping her tea.

"We have nothing more to say on this matter as well," Odin said.

"I do," Zeus said.

"Yes, Lord Zeus," Sirzechs said.

"I'd like to have Artemis's squadron stationed around Olympus if you don't mind," Zeus said.

"And your reasoning for that is?" Ra chirped.

"I just have a bad feeling about something and I'd feel better if she was on Olympus so she can be deployed at a moment's notice. If the rest of you recall, my pantheon is where the international prison of Cocytus is located," Zeus said.

"Hmm, I can see how that's a problem considering all the high-profile criminals we kept locked down there. Kokabiel, Kronos, Samael," Ra said.

"Anyone opposed to this?" Sirzechs asked.

No one raised their hand. Zeus had made a sound point. Keeping a prison where the world's most dangerous supernatural criminals safe was a good point to bring up. If all the criminals were released from Cocytus, they would have global chaos on their hands and the fragile barrier between humans and the supernatural would be shattered as the prisoners would rampage and riot across the entire planet. This is of course, ignoring the damage that they could inflict on the supernatural world as well.

"Motion carried," Sirzechs said.

"Is that all?" Aphrodite asked.

"Yes, I believe that that is all unless if someone wants to say something," Sirzechs said.

No one uttered a word, wanting to return to their respective pantheons as soon as possible. Sirzechs nodded and the Gods began to teleport away one by one until there was no one left except for the Hindu Goddess of Destruction. Kali sat in her seat, calmly sipping her tea.

"Kali-sama, are you waiting for someone?" Sirzechs asked.

"Yes, I'm waiting for Issei," she said. As if on cue, Issei, Mitsuki, Irina, and Rikka burst through the door, panting.

"Are we late?" Issei asked.

"You're more than late," Kali said, glancing over her shoulder.

"It's done?" Mitsuki asked. Kali smiled a little and nodded.

"Sorry we're late, Sirzechs-sama! Michael-sama!" Irina said.

"It's far alright. We'll go over what happened during the meeting with you," Michael said.

"Why did something interesting happen?" Rikka asked, standing straight.

"Yes," Asmodeus said. "Something did… sit."

The group looked at each other before they all sat down. Kali remained standing, watching them before returning her attention back to the front of the room.

"We've sort of done a bit of shuffling around with DxD," Ajuka said. "For starters, we have new members and new cells within the group. Lady Kali, here, will be the leader of such a group as well as Lady Artemis of the Greco-Roman Pantheon."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Irina said. "We could use all the help right now. WIth Artemis-sama's tracking skills, we'll be able to locate the demons in no time."

"It's not that easy," Belphegor said, finally glancing from his phone. "They're suppressing their energies so that they feel and appear human to the senses of a supernatural being and using some sort of cloaking magic to keep themselves from being detected. On top of that, I've noted that they're using some sort of odd method for transportation that's not teleportation but that's all for now."

"How'd you figure that one out?" Azrael asked.

"The sudden disappearance of a very large group of devils very suddenly," Belphegor said.

"Ah," she replied.

"We're getting off track. Issei, I want you and Rias to be ready for a mission. When she and her peerage get back from their scouting trip, please inform them," Sirzechs said.

Issei nodded.

"How about your mission?" Ajuka asked.

"Nothing," Irina said. "Nothing pointing to the presence of devils. We did, however, encounter a few stray devils there but they had no information nor had they noticed anything."

Sirzechs nodded and rubbed his forehead.

"I see," Sirzechs said. "Nearly five months and nothing popped up. It's like they all vanished from the face of existence. Very well, you're dismissed for now."

They nodded and got up to leave the room. As he was about to leave, Issei paused and glanced back at Sirzechs.

"It's fine, Sirzechs-nii. We'll find them," Issei said.

Issei's reassurance caused Sirzechs to smile and nod as he closed the door.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

* * *

Ophis was bored. It had been nearly seven hours since Eternity had said that their older sister would awaken and the two had played several games over several possibilities of the Evie Universe they were currently toying with. Infinity, on several occasions, had intentionally suicided some of her best units in order to lull Eternity into a false sense of security before coming around and winning the game. Honestly, if she wasn't in such a hurry, Ophis would've joined in just to relieve her boredom but she was here for something important.

"Oh?" Eternity said as he held his Resetoras piece in his hand. Ophis froze when she felt it. Overwhelming, all-consuming power had washed over the three. The place that had no definition nor substance began to quake. Massive waves of power shook the endless realm. Infinity and Eternity got up and stowed their game board before walking over to where Ophis stood.

The three stared off into the vast endless distance before them as the quakes got stronger. The epicenter could not be determined as the waves seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The colors of the place rapidly shifted through every possible and impossible color in existence as whatever was causing these quakes began to emit a stronger presence. It was a presence that could only be described as "omnipotent". A being of such power that even the two next to her would be barely able to match this thing in its totality.

"She's taking longer to wake up," Infinity said, playing with her hair.

"Am I now?"

A melodious yet fear-inducing voice echoed throughout the realm. The sounds came from everywhere outside them yet they also heard it in their heads. The featureless space around them began to ripple and quiver as the "ground" seemingly converged into a single spot. The floor suddenly behaved as if it were a gelatinous material, oozing and merging together, shaping into a vaguely humanoid form. A large throne appeared from nothingness as the being who sought it began to take on more defined features.

It was clearly female, judging from the shape it was taking. Its hair began to take on color. A royal violet which belonged only to the supreme ruler. Its eyes were gold, far more so than the metal that man craved so much. She had a slender figure much like Ophis's own. Her chest was far smaller than Infinity's but what she lacked in bust she made up for with her rear. As the body formed, clothes began to appear on her. Her dress was almost impossible to describe due to its alien appearance but from what could be seen, the woman wore a strapless dress with several cutouts that exposed shoulders and chest. The dress's skirt contained four purple wings that surrounded her waist while her arms were covered in long violet gloves with sharp blades located at the top. She had an odd feather-like ornament on decorating her hair. Her shoes were high-heels with a featherlike design and long socks that crossed each other.

Ophis felt fear for the first time since the dawn of everything when the being opened her eyes. In her current state, she was nothing more than a grain of sand beneath her older sister's feet. Her golden eyes focused on Ophis with a sheer intensity that did not match the expression on her face.

"Ophis," the woman said, placing her hand on her chin.

"Elder Sister Nihil," Ophis said, bowing slightly.

"What is it that you want?" Nihil asked, checking her nails for nonexistent dirt.

"I- I wish for your assistance!" Ophis said.

"Oh? For what exactly," Nihil asked, despite knowing the answer. Her eyes were eyes in which the past, present, and future all converged into a singular point. In short, her sister had seen everything that had happened while she was in perpetual slumber. Ophis knew this.

"I feel as if there is something disastrous about to happen on the world that I currently reside in and I require assistance in discovering the threat and subduing it if necessary," Ophis said.

"Is it the Trihexa guy?" Infinity asked.

"No, he's sealed but I feel as if he is a part of this," Ophis said.

Nihil closed her eyes and sighed. She stood and walked in front of Ophis before opening her palm. In her hand, a swirl of light appeared before a universe manifested in the palm of her hand. Ophis knew what world she held in her hands. It was the world that she had come to love so dearly. The world that her brother had loved dearly.

"You want my assistance saving this world? Remind me, Ophis? Why should I care? The only reason I cared for that world is that Yahweh loved it so. Now, that he's... incapacitated, that world has sunk back into its previous state. An insignificant momentary speck of dust," Nihil said as she stared at the universe in her palm with slightly longing eyes.

"It's because our brother loved that world that you should do something!" Ophis argued.

"I don't see your point. If they're starting another war, then why should we care? Their lives are merely an eyeblink for us," Nihil said.

"Because my friends live there! Everyone I've grown fond of lives there and… I fear that there might be more to this," Ophis said.

"More to this how?" Nihil asked.

"She's right," Eternity said. "That world is getting harder and harder to view even if I access the time stream. Its future is murky to the point where I can't determine what will happen within the next second."

"That is cause for concern," Infinity said. "Wouldn't you agree, Elder Sister?"

Nihil remained silent while Ophis mentally thanked her brother and sister for their assistance. After possibly what could have been a few seconds or even a few hours, Nihil finally spoke.

"Fine, but know that I will not get involved _unless_ it is required. Whatever this world's problem is is theirs and theirs alone and since you and Red reside there, it's your problem by extension," Nihil said.

"I see so this is the best I'll get?" Ophis asked.

"Yes," Nihil said.

"So what do I do?" Ophis asked.

"Regain your full power," Nihil said. She snapped her fingers and the universe rippled before an image of a girl nearly identical to Ophis in appearance appeared within the bubble.

"Lilith," Ophis said.

"Absorb her back into yourself," Nihil said.

"...," Ophis remained silent at her older sister's words. She would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't grown attached to her Shard. A Shard that was created from her expelling her power.

"I sense your apprehension about this," Nihil said.

"Of course she feels nervous! This girl is practically her daughter if you think about it!" Infinity argued.

Nihil ignored her and continued to stare at Ophis.

"I'll do it but… is there another way?" Ophis asked.

"Hmmm, seek him out," Nihil said.

"Him?"

"You know who," Nihil said.

Ophis was confused by nodded, nonetheless.

"Now go. I've helped you as much as I can for now. Go figure the rest out yourself," Nihil said.

"Very well," Ophis said. She turned to leave but paused. "It was nice speaking to you once more Elder Sister."

"It has, Little Phis," Nihil said. Ophis vanished in a dark implosion that rippled the endless realm around her. Nihil walked back and sat on her throne with Infinity and Eternity watching her silently.

"Are you sure that that was good enough?" Eternity asked.

"Yeah, that last hint you gave was a bit vague," Infinity said.

"She'll understand it," Nihil said. "That's all that matters and besides, we will have to interfere in the future… whatever it is that's causing this darkness to cover this universe is getting stronger with each passing second…"

Nihil held the universe in her hand and willed the bubble universes around it to manifest. In the bubble universe of Hell, at its very core, was a small dark speck.

**Hong Kong, China**

A man with violet hair and yellow eyes walked down the street as people passed him in a hurry. The pedestrians were all rushing to get to their jobs or get to meetings with friends. The man walked down a busy walkway, passing by shops filled with popular consumer items as teenagers and other people looked at them through windows while some walked into the store as others came out holding large bags of merchandise.

He arrived at a small eatery located at the end of the street that was known for its noodles. He sat down and called for the waitress.

"_I'll have some Misua_," he ordered. The waitress nodded and wrote down his order before heading inside.

"_Leviathan_," a voice inside his head spoke. He smiled.

"Elder Sister," Leviathan said as the woman came back with his bowl. He thanked her and picked up his chopsticks.

"_Leviathan, I think it's time we made our presence known… let them know that we're here_," Lilith said.

"Oh, and what's your plan?" Leviathan said as he ate his meal.

"_Destroy the entire Hong Kong peninsula… the annihilation of a major population center… especially one so close to Kuoh will get their attention,_" Lilith said.

"Really? Hong Kong? I happen to like this place," Leviathan said.

"_Do it. Sound the horns of Armageddon,"_ Lilith said.

"Fine," Leviathan said. He picked up his bowl and walked away from the restaurant. His exit was noticed by the manager who called for someone to stop him. Leviathan walked into the middle of the street where he stopped. An oncoming car stopped abruptly, barely halting to a standstill mere inches from him as Leviathan continued to eat his meal.

The driver got out of his car and began to shout at Leviathan in Cantonese. Not that Leviathan cared. His eyes glowed as a massive storm appeared over the entire Hong Kong Peninsula.

"I'm going to miss this city," Leviathan said as he raised his hand. He snapped his fingers and the world knew thunder.

* * *

**Hello hello! I am back from the break! How are you guys! Ready to jump back in? Sorry if this chapter was a bit short. I meant for it to start the new arc. Anyway, some new faces appeared. Infinity, Eternity, and Nihil. The embodiments of Space, Time, and ?, and are apparently Ophis's older siblings! Lilith has also begun to make her moves after months of silence. This arc will proceed as such with the main focus being on Issei's remaining year as well as the beginning of a war between Lilith and her demons and the rest of the world. Humanity will probably... maybe find out about the Supernatural. Another thing is that you guys will find out more about Lilith's history, as well as Hephaestus! He's back and he'll be better than ever! So I hope you all look forward to this Arc because I am! Anyways, have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!**


	33. God of the Forge

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Japanese Blacklight Base, Kegon Falls, Japan, August 4, 2020, 3:15 AM, Current Time: 2 Minutes and 49 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"I didn't expect them to strike so hard and so fast," Cornelius said as he folded his hands. Taki closed his eyes as the other founders in holographic form nodded. The tragedy of Hong Kong was a piece of news that would no doubt circulate rapidly across the globe and possibly catch the eyes of the supernatural. The destruction of an entire city would no doubt be a cataclysm to the eyes of humans but what about to DxD?

"Then again, we didn't expect them to strike at all," Salem said. "The fear of having DxD retaliate against them was what we were all betting on but we should've known better. This Ha-Satan… they're ruthless."

"Did our satellites pick up anything else about this odd hurricane?" Rama asked.

"Ahem. Please refer to the screen," Anastasia said. The Heads all turned their heads to the massive holographic globe projected from the table. Anastasia pressed a few buttons and a simulation appeared.

"At approximately 1900 hours in Hong Kong local time, a massive hurricane, larger and more powerful than anything ever rated before on the Saffir-Simpson Scale was recorded by every major satellite across the globe. Its appearance and formation are still a mystery even for us," she said. She pressed play and a hurricane that engulfed the entirety of the South China Sea slowly appeared with its epicenter being Hong Kong.

"It wasn't just Hong Kong that was hit was it?" Sheba asked.

"No, every neighboring country was hit with massive record-breaking storm waves battering the coast of China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Cambodia. Said countries were also hit by the hurricane and suffered major damages and loss of life. We've estimated the damage to be in the billions if not trillions of U.S Dollars and the total death count is expected to be in the hundreds of millions, possibly even higher than what our current numbers suggest," Atef said, reading the report.

"And… here's the cincher. Our satellites detected a brief but large surge of demonic energy within Hong Kong," Anastasia said. "I've done the liberty of projecting its scale compared to other devils that we are aware of in this day and age and here's what we have. We've also managed to place the perp in accordance to the Global Power System."

_Unknown Entity_

_Species: Devil_

_Ranking according to Devils: Satan Class Devil_

_GPS Ranking: BBB-Rank Deity Class Devil_

"BBB Class, huh," Matias said, stroking his beard.

"A Prime," Taki said.

The others turned to look at him strangely.

"A Prime? The only Primes we know of that remained alive following the Great War were Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Mammon, and Belphegor, and last time I checked, your agent reported that Beelzebub had been killed in battle and the other three are retired," Cornelius said.

"Hmm, you may be right but… my instincts have never led me wrong before except for that one time," Taki said. "We're dealing with another Prime Demon."

"Hmmm, well, we can't rule that possibility out. We'll have to increase surveillance on the other three Prime Demons that still remain to see which one might have done it," Cornelius said.

"Hmph. I can have Hephaestus string something up to give to your subordinates, Taki. Give us a few hours and we'll be done," Atalanta said.

"Very well, we'll be counting on that," Taki said.

"I believe that would be a good place to dismiss the meeting," Salem said, sipping her tea.

"Alright. We'll reconvene at a later time. Remember to keep an eye out on your ends," Taki said.

They all nodded before severing the connection. Taki closed his eyes before opening them. He took out a small worn-out photo from his pocket and smiled a bit upon seeing it.

In the photo, a young man, who resembled Taki greatly except his hair possessed color, being black with slight red tints at the tips, stood next to a young woman that wore a black uniform as well as a hakama that was white with floral and butterfly designs. Her eyes were violet and her hair was raven black which faded into a violet at the tips.

"Rei-nee-sama," Taki said. "Give me strength…"

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, Kuoh, Japan, 10:00 AM**

* * *

"Awww," Irina said as she bounced a baby on her lap. The baby had gray hair with azure blue eyes, similar to Sirzechs and Rias. She cried out in happiness as she babbled her baby speak, reaching out for Irina.

"So what's her name, Ane?" Issei asked.

"We decided to name her, Annalise," Grayfia said. She smiled as she reached out for her daughter, which Irina handed over. Grayfia cradled little Annalise in her arms and smiled.

Annalise Gremory the Second, or little Anna as some had taken to calling her. She was born a little over a month ago to Sirzechs and Grayfia. Her birth was celebrated across the Underworld as their Satan Lucifer's wife had given birth to a daughter. A ray of light amidst coming darkness. This, of course, did not mean that there were no consequences. Annalise's birth had triggered several factions in both Hell and abroad to move with several pantheons and houses proposing a marriage contract between Annalise and their sons. Of course, Sirzechs turned them all down like the protective father he was with Millicas standing vigil over his sister's crib at nearly all times.

"She's a gift but… she didn't inherit the Power of Destruction," she said.

"She didn't? Is that a bad thing?" Issei asked.

"No, of course not. It's just…," Grayfia trailed off.

"The similarities between her and my older sister. Hey Anna! Rias-obaachan is here!" Rias said, walking into the room. She held her hands out as the baby cheerfully squealed and reached for her.

"Hmm, she's right. She's just like her namesake," Grayfia said.

The sound of the door opening caught their attention as the sound of small footsteps raced across the wood floor. A red blur hopped on Issei's lap, engulfing him in a hug with their tiny arms.

"Lili," Issei said, stroking her hair.

"Nii! Guess what! Today, we learned about shapes and…!" Lily began as she explained her entire day to Issei. It had been nearly a year since Issei had found and adopted Lily into their family with a little help of course. During the summer, Issei had helped her mellow out and become more outgoing. As a result, she began to smile and talk more and with his parents' permission, Issei enrolled Lily in Kuoh Elementary where Sirzechs and Grayfia were planning to transfer Millicas to later this year.

"Sorry about that!" Rossweisse said, stumbling in as she took her shoes off. She walked over to Issei and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"How was your day?" Irina asked.

"Oh… the usual. I'm kind of peeved that you guys left me to deal with the third years," Rossweisse said as she walked over to the fridge in the kitchen. She pulled out a can of iced coffee and opened it.

"You brought little Annalise in?" Rossweisse asked, poking the baby's cheek lightly. The baby squealed in happiness, grabbing Rossweisse's fingers.

"Yeah, I figured it would be good for her to get to know her other family. You know the ones that aren't in Hell so often," Grayfia said. "And besides, I'm still on maternity leave. Natalia-chan is down there taking over my duties for me and running Sirzechs's paperwork."

"Must be hard," Rias said, "Being the one in charge of Onii-sama's paperwork."

"She'll learn. Besides, it'll be an invaluable experience for her once she fully takes over as Head of House Naamah. She said she might go out and find other members of the House."

"I thought the House was extinct," Issei said.

"It was but… there might have been some deserters during the Great War that are hiding. We know that some did during the Civil War," Grayfia said.

A beeping sound went off in Issei's pocket. He reached in and pulled out his AS, shifting it into a phone and scrolled through it. It was a text and the contact was Rikka-senpai.

_Come now. The Old Man is calling us to the base. Bring Bova too. I think now would be a good time._

"Did you get one too?" Mitsuki asked, looking at her phone.

"Yeah, senpai sent us a text asking us to meet her," Issei said.

"Meet her where?" Grayfia asked. Rikka was an oddity that she welcomed. The girl was mature and elegant and had a way of drawing you in with her social ineptitude.

"She wants to meet us in Kyoto and is asking us to bring one of our other teammates from the Azazel Cup," Irina said.

"Maybe she's planning a reunion," Rias said.

"Yeah, anyway, we got to go," Issei said.

"We'll see you later then, won't we?" Grayfia said, holding her daughter up. "Say goodbye to Oji-chan!"

Annalise gurgled as she reached out for Issei, a sight that warmed his heart.

"I'll go get Bova," Mitsuki said, "You two go ahead to Kyoto and meet with senpai."

Issei and Irina nodded as the three disappeared from the living room in a burst of red and yellow lights.

* * *

**Nikko National Park**

* * *

Rikka leaned against the railing as tourists passed her, all chattering and taking pictures. Her red eyes scanned the crowd for the rest of her team. Ingvild had sent her a text that she would be arriving separately due to some things she had to take care of back in America with Tohka and Mica. She sighed. The old man had suddenly called her back from a solo assignment in the Himalayas. But she was sort of grateful, being covered in several liters of yeti blood and the stark cold of one of the most inhospitable locations on the planet on top of a massive storm that had appeared out of nowhere was not an ideal way to spend her day.

"Senpai!"

She perked her head up and looked to her side to see Issei and Irina heading towards her.

"You're here. Where's Mitsuki?" she asked.

"Mitsuki went to go get Bova, which I may ask, this is a bit sudden but why choose now of all times?" Irina asked.

"Killing two birds with one stone. We already decided that we would induct him did we not?" Rikka asked.

"Er… we did but we assumed that he would be inducted when the time was right and not when we're dealing with all this," Issei said.

"Well, we'll need all the information we can get," Rikka said. "I assume you two know why you're here?"

They shook their heads, causing Rikka to sigh.

"I'm guessing you've seen what's been happening on the news," she asked.

"You mean the hurricane?" Issei asked. "That's why we're being called out here?"

"Yes. The Divine Ten believe that a Prime Demon is behind this and they want us to keep surveillance on the ones that we know are alive to see if we can find out if one of them is the Ha-Satan that Beelzebub mentioned right before he died. To do this, we need to go to Greece to their R and D department to pick up some equipment to monitor the Primes," Rikka said.

"I don't think it would be any of the remaining ones. They're too… mellow for that sort of thing," Issei said.

"It's just an air of precaution. They need to be sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that it wasn't them," she answered.

"Heyyy!"

The three turned to see Mitsuki with Bova in his human disguise walking towards them. He smiled when he saw Rikka, waving at her.

Rikka waved back with a slight red tint on her cheeks that thankfully went unnoticed by her teammates.

"Here too!"

Rikka jumped as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She whirled around quickly to see Ingvild holding in her laughter.

"Senpai. I think you need to get your game up if a little shoulder tap was enough to scare you," Ingvild said.

Rikka pouted before composing herself.

"Shall we go?" she asked.

"Wait, don't we need to brief this big lug right here on what's about to happen?" Issei asked, punching Bova lightly on the shoulder. The young dragon smiled and slugged Issei back.

"Right. Bova, follow us," Rikka said as she began to walk. Confused, Bova nodded and followed after them.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"Well, Rikka-senpai here decided that you were worthy enough," Issei said.

"Worthy for what?" he asked.

The two stopped outside of a small shrine. Rikka walked towards it and pressed the nose of a kitsune effigy. The eyes of the effigy glowed red before a clicking sound resonated from behind the shrine.

"Come on," Rikka said, going to the back of the shrine. Behind the shrine was a metallic sliding door with a small spherical indent on a panel next to it. Rikka pulled out her AS and pressed it on the indent, causing the door to open. She walked inside, followed by Issei and the others.

The doors closed and Rikka pressed a small button and the room began to move.

"So where are we going exactly?" Bova asked.

"Bova Tannin, what you are about to see is something that you must absolutely not reveal to anyone. Not even your own father," Rikka said.

"Must be one big secret if I can't even tell Dad," Bova said.

"So what's the secret?"

"Right! You, Bova Tannin, have been scouted, evaluated, and selected by me, Rikka Kuroyuki, codename Black Snow to become a member of the Blacklight Organization," she said, adding a bit of dramatic flair. Behind her, her juniors all felt a bead of sweat roll down their faces.

"What's Blacklight?" Bova asked. "Like, what does it do?"

"They're like the _Men in Black_," Issei said.

"_Men in Black_?"

"You know, guys in suits and aliens?" Irina said.

"I don't know what that is," he said.

"Have you seen… _Kingsman_?" Mitsuki asked.

"Oh, I love that movie! It's like that?" Bova asked.

"Yeah," Mitsuki said.

"So wait, you've seen _Kingsman_ but not _Men in Black_?" Issei asked.

"Enough, we're here," Rikka said as the doors opened. Bova's eyes widened at the sight of such a massive operation. The group walked out with Rikka commandeering a cart for them. The six hopped on with Ingvild getting shotgun. Irina and Mitsuki sat in the middle while Issei and Bova sat in the very back.

Rikka began to long drive down to Taki's office.

"Cool right?" Issei asked.

"Yeah… no kidding," Bova said as they passed by several agents making their way through the departments.

"So what do we do here?" he asked.

"Well, we get sent on missions to take care of stuff related to the supernatural and stuff related to humans. We're like the Secret Police and we keep the Supernatural Worlds and Human Worlds safe from each other and themselves," Issei said.

"Not just that, Issei," Rikka said. "We also record information and research information. I'll have you know that our archives are greater than anything you'll find in any pantheon, even that of the Rainbow Serpent's."

"Yeah, that too," Issei said.

"So wait… just how much information do you have?" Bova asked.

"Hmmm, let's see… what's something you nor the other leaders know?" Rikka contemplated.

"Ooh! I got one and I didn't know this before! It honestly shocked me so much! Did you know that the God of the Bible is Ophis's brother! They're counterparts too! Twins! Chaos and Genesis and Extinction and Infinity!" Mitsuki said.

"Wait… the Ouroboros Dragon is related to the leader of the Biblical Pantheon?" Bova asked.

"Yup!"

"That's weird considering how much weaker he is than her," he said.

"Yes, it's one of our greatest mysteries," Rikka said. She brought the cart to a halt. She got out of the cart, followed by her friends as they walked into a room.

Taki sat at his desk, waiting for them, and raised an eyebrow when he saw them walk in with Bova. A small smile graced his face as he leaned back.

"You're here and you've brought a guest," Taki said.

"Old Man, this is Bova. I plan on recruiting him," Rikka said.

"I've heard nothing of the sort," he said. "But it doesn't matter. We do need the manpower, however, you went over my head with this and for that, you need to be disciplined. You are on dish duty for the next week. I expect you to help the kitchen crew help keep our dishes and trays clean understood? Oh, and you're in charge of him. If he does anything... remember he'll have his memories wiped of this."

Rikka nodded.

"Now, young man. We will get you inducted later, right now, since my granddaughter, in her infinite wisdom, claimed you as a member of her squad are to go with them to Greece," Taki said.

Bova nodded.

"I assume that Rikka briefed you all on why you're needed there. You six are currently the only ones on base with any connections to DxD, thus, making you the prime candidates for this assignment. Issei and Mitsuki, your relationship with the leaders of the Biblical Faction will be invaluable for this. Irina, being Michael's ace, grants you insight into their movements. And I assume that Bova's relationship with Tannin who is the Queen of Mephistopheles' peerage will provide us with information as well. Now, as to why you are heading to Greece, you need to meet with the head of the Greek Branch's Research and Development," Taki said.

"Who?" Irina asked.

"The Greco-Roman God of Metallurgy, Fire, Volcanoes, and Technology, Hephaestus," he answered.

"Wait, I thought this had something to do with receiving something to keep an eye on the remaining Prime Demons?" Issei asked.

"And it does. If there's anyone outside of the Biblical Pantheon who has knowledge on the Primes, it's Hephaestus considering that he's married to one," Taki answered.

"He is?"

"Yes, if I remember correctly, he is married to the Prime Demon Lilith, eldest of the Seven and the eldest child of the late Archangel Lucifer," Taki said.

"So Lilith is there too?" Mitsuki asked.

"No. I'll let him tell you the story of why he joined. It has something to do with her. Anyway, Hephaestus will provide you with what you need for this mission. Surveillance technology and sensors with the energy signature of the anomaly from Hong Kong keyed in," Taki said.

"So when do we leave?" Bova asked.

"Ready to jump into the deep end of the pool. I like that," Taki said. "Well then, you leave now."

"Right. We'll head down to the hangar bay right away," Rikka said.

"Have fun. Heph is quite a mellow guy once you get to know him," Taki said.

* * *

**Unknown Location, Blacklight Base, Greece**

* * *

A woman stood idly in the hangar of the Grecian Blacklight base. She was a rather pretty woman with a modest figure. Her breasts weren't too small nor were they too big and her rear was full and round enough to drive any man crazy. Her hair was messy and unkempt with the initial green fading into blonde as a result of her heritage. Her features were even odder as she had a pair of cat ears sitting atop her head and a tail that one would attribute to a lioness.

She wore silky green clothing with a cleavage window that showed a healthy portion of skin and knee-high socks with black boots. In her hands was her AS which was currently deployed in its tablet form.

"How long are they going to make me wait?" she sighed.

"Well, Atalanta. We'll have to wait a while," a feminine voice said from behind. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the familiar visage of her assistant/close friend. She was just as beautiful if not more so in Atalanta's opinion. Her chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes as well as her petite yet curvaceous figure made any man stare yet none did for fear of what her lover would do to them. She wore a white uniform that consisted of a red button-up shirt and a white coat. She also wore a red skirt and white knee-high socks and white boots.

"Selene," Atalanta greeted.

"I just got a message from Chapter Head Taki saying that Eden Squad should be here. Their estimated ETA is… now," Selene said as a green portal opened in front of them

To her credit, she didn't expect them to come tumbling out. Atalanta sighed when she saw Taki's granddaughter butting heads with what seemed to be a dragon in human form.

In front of them, the Red Dragon Emperor and the Wielder of Telos Karma simply marveled at their hangar while the Leviathan Descendant and the reincarnated Angel merely stood, waiting for their teammates to get a hint.

Eventually, Atalanta's amusement evaporated like the morning dew and she coughed into her hand.

"Ahem," she said.

The group stopped and got into formation with Rikka standing at the front. She bowed before her.

"Greetings, I am Rikka Kuroyuki, captain of Eden Squad. Code Name Black Snow. These are my teammates, Issei Hyoudou, Code Name Red Dragon, Irina Shidou, Code Name White Angel, Mitsuki Hyoudou, Code Name Weaver, Ingvild Leviathan, Code Name Lavender Serpent, and our brand new recruit Bova Tannin," Rikka said.

"Well operative, this is quite the team you've assembled. I trust that you'll find our accommodations more than enough for your meeting here. If you would please, I will escort you down to R and D myself," Atalanta said. She glanced at Selene.

"Selene. Cancel all my appointments for the day," she said.

"Yes Ma'am," Selene said. "Well, Nyatalanta. I'll be off to visit mom and dad. God knows I haven't been back in a while."

Atalanta nodded and gestured for them to follow.

"So was that your secretary or something?" Issei asked.

"Secretary? No, she's the Head of our Intelligence department and a member of my inner circle," Atalanta said.

"Chapter Head Atalanta, if I may, what exactly is the nature of our mission that we had to come all the way here," Rikka asked.

"Well, I'm sure Taki filled you in on the devastation that occurred all across Southeast Asia. We have reason to believe that a Prime Demon was behind this. The level of devastation is just too much for a regular devil or demon to do," she said. "Billions if not trillions of dollars of property damage as well as the loss of countless lives all with a brief spike of demonic energy."

"That sounds insane," Issei said. "And we barely killed Beelzebub too."

"Prime Demons are tricky, yes. From the lore we have on them, they're thought to be walking disasters in Devil Skin, akin to Black Dragons but devils," she said as she pressed an elevator button. They all piled in and descended deep into the base.

"So our duty?" Bova asked.

"There is no set due date for this as this is routine information reconnaissance so all you need to do is to make sure that none of the remaining Prime Demons match the signature that was briefly detected in Hong Kong seconds before the mayhem began," Atalanta answered.

The door let out a ring as the elevator came to a stop. Walking out of the elevator, the group passed by several scientists and engineers all developing various pieces of technology and studying magic. They walked for a few minutes before Atalanta stopped outside an office. She knocked on the window, getting the attention of its sole resident.

The man was possibly six feet, possibly six foot four at first glance. He had a lean and muscular build, possibly from all the forging he had been doing if the anvil and hammer were any clear indicators. His eyes were hazel, almost gold color. He wore a red lab coat with a black muscle shirt underneath emphasizing his build. He had reddish-orange hair with a small white streak across it and a small burn scar on the side of his neck. His gaze lingered on the group, particularly on Issei and Mitsuki, before sighing.

"Atalanta," he said in a gruff voice. He slammed his hammer back on what he had been working on, glancing occasionally at the hardlight screen that had appeared in front of him.

"Hephaestus. Have some courtesy. These are our guests from the Japanese Branch," she said.

"Ah, so these are the brats, Taki sent? Alright then," Hephaestus said. The hammer and anvil disappeared in a haze of gold dust as he straightened his coat. He gestured for them to come inside his office.

Hephaestus's office was more akin to a smithy if anything. A large blast furnace, as well as a melting pot and oven, sat situated against the wall. A cooling tank sat a few feet away from it and several tools hung off the walls. Unfinished weapons as well as blueprints sat on a desk that had a Hardlight Screen Computer sat on the far side of the room where Hephaestus currently was. Two bookcases stood to its left filled with scrolls and books containing knowledge from far back then and with some newer books which looked odd amongst the ancient relics and scrolls.

"Hmmm, ah! Here," Hephaestus said as he levitated a set of small chips. He walked over to them.

"Right, this here contains data on the perp that was detected in Hong Kong. Due to the fact that the burst was so brief, we weren't able to get conclusive data on it so this is all you'll be able to work with. That's not to say that it isn't going to work. I'll outfit this into your Armillary Spheres so that whenever you're near a Prime Demon, it'll automatically compare the signatures for similarities. Please expect a percent match as the Seven Prime Demons are siblings so they will hold similar signatures. What the chip is looking for is that part of their miasma signature that makes them, them," he explained.

"Um, Hephaestus, sir, I don't have an Armillary… whatever they're called," Bova said.

"Don't fret kid. Taki's probably put in a commission for you and you'll activate it once you get back," Hephaestus said.

"So all we have to do is get near them?" Issei asked.

He nodded.

"Seems easy enough," he said as he handed over his AS to Hephaestus. Hephaestus took the small marble and pressed a small button on the top. The sphere grew in size and a small tray popped out. Hephaestus implanted the chip inside and handed it back to Issei before repeating this process with the others.

"So how close of a match do we want?" Ingvild asked. She activated her AS and found the program, performing a scan on herself.

_Ingvild Leviathan_

_Miasma Percent Match: 78.5%_

"Hmmm," Atalanta placed her hand on her chin. "I'd look over any similarities you'll get to the AS scanner if that's what you're worried about. We only want you to survey the Prime Demons and not their descendants. Though," she glanced at Hephaestus.

"Hmm, we should probably inspect them just in case. The girl seems to have a seventy percent match to the energy burst detected so that narrows it down. Try to do the others just in case but so far, your miasma signature seems to almost match it," he said.

"Right, new mission or more of a side quest really. I want you guys if you can, get data on the energy signatures of members of Houses Mammon and Belphegor. You don't have to do a deep sweep of the house which would be preferable… but just a few samples for the program to be able to compare data," Atalanta said.

"There," he said. "We're done for now. Come back once dragon boy here gets his AS."

They nodded.

"Thanks, Hephaestus-sama," Rikka said.

"Don't thank me, kid. Just make sure that it isn't any of the remaining Primes," he said.

She nodded at him and then to Atalanta. She sighed and began to escort them back. As Issei was about to leave the room, a single sentence from Hephaestus made him stop in his tracks.

"You're the boy, Lili, babysat," he said.

Issei turned around, looking at the Forge God.

"H- How did you? How do you know her name?" Issei asked.

"Know? There's a lot more to your babysitter that meets the eye kid," he said.

"Did you know her or something?" Issei asked.

"Know her? I'm married to her," he said.

"Wait… I thought you were married to a…," Issei said.

"As I said, there are lots of things you don't know about your babysitter, Issei Hyoudou. Drop by sometime. I'll be glad to tell you stories about her," Hephaestus said.

"Issei!"

"You better get going," he said. He picked up one of his hammers and began to work on something. A weapon or tool if Issei had to guess.

"Wait! At least tell me who she really is," Issei said.

Hephaestus stopped what he was about to do, his hammer paused mid-swing when the words left Issei's mouth. He sighed and turned around, his hazel eyes boring into Issei's.

"You're not ready for that yet but… if you really can't wait, head down to Hell and look up information on the Seven Prime Demons. Perhaps, you might find what you're looking for," Hephaestus said.

"Like where she is?" Issei said.

He didn't respond, causing Issei to sigh. He smiled at the Forge God and thanked him one more time before running out of the room. Hephaestus sighed as he gripped the necklace that hung around his neck.

"Lilith, it looks like I'm not the only one looking for you but… it seems that he doesn't know that you're out there," he said. He looked at his desk where a family photo sat. In the photo was Hephaestus with his arm wrapped around the waist of a woman with white hair and golden eyes. She had a warm smile on her face and wore a white blouse with underneath a red overcoat and a black skirt. Between them was a girl in her mid to late teens with auburn hair much like Hephaestus, however, her eyes and the shape of her face greatly resembled that of the woman in the photo. She wore a yellow hoodie and a white skirt with black knee-high socks. The girl held up two peace signs to the camera.

"Where are you?" he asked himself.

* * *

"So just like that, I'm in?" Bova asked. "No initiation process?"

"We never said you were in like that. You don't have an AS which is like our ID card," Rikka said. "What we're trying to say is that new recruits, if they're selected and not from one of our schools, have to be on probation and watched over by their handler which is me."

"We have handlers?" Mitsuki asked.

"Before you were transferred, Lisa was your handler along with Eric and you technically went to one of our schools. The one in America is called Eve High School," Rikka said.

"Hey! Sorry! Hephaestus wanted to talk to me about my Sacred Gear," Issei said, panting a little.

"Ready?" Issei asked.

They nodded.

"Wait," Atalanta said.

They paused for a moment as a vortex opened up in front of them. Atalanta stood there with a stern look on her face.

"Be careful. We don't know how many of them are out there or where they could be. For all we know, they could've planted moles within Devil Society," Atalanta said. "Be careful about who you trust."

They nodded at her ominous warning before walking through the portal.

* * *

"You going home for the night?" a scientist said as she walked by Hephaestus's office. The Forge God was basically their boss ever since he joined twelve years ago. The man's skills allowed him to rapidly rise through the ranks and replace their previous department head, who took a job running Russia's R&D department.

"Yeah. You guys can keep on working," Hephaestus said as he walked down the department room with a duffle bag.

"Hey, if you're free anytime, we're always out for drinks," she said.

"Yeah, I'll hold you to that," he said.

"See ya later boss," she said, returning back to her work.

Hephaestus nodded as he exited the room, getting on one of the elevators. Teleportation in and out of the base was nigh-impossible due to heavy amounts of warding. Only beings stronger than the combined might of the top three strongest existences underneath the Dragon Gods were capable of breaking through the barrier so as much as he wanted to, he couldn't just teleport back to his home on Olympus.

After arriving on the ground floor and walking towards the Hangar, Hephaestus ordered for a vortex to appear in a random location in Europe. The vortex operator nodded and clicked a few buttons, opening a rift. Hephaestus walked through the rift, ending up in a meadow on the other side where he disappeared in a burst of crimson flames.

He arrived inside his temple. Hephaestus's temple was a simple place for a simple god. It bore none of the extravagance that his parents or siblings had and was considered to be too plain to be noticed. In fact, most of the demigods didn't know where he even lived so offerings weren't really high. His set-up was the exactly the same as his office. He walked past his forge and opened his fridge, pulling out a cold can of beer and sat on the couch. He noticed a small note with over a plate of food that was covered in saran wrap.

_Going to be late. The council meeting went awry. Hermes accidentally impregnated another woman. Hera's currently chewing him out! Anyway, don't wait up!_

_Love, Aphrodite_

He scoffed. Her acts of affection were meaningless to him after all those centuries of torment. Hephaestus placed the note back and turned on his TV.

"Hmm, getting notes from her now?"

His eyes widened when he heard that voice. That familiar, loving voice that made his heart flutter with joy. He quickly turned around and saw those yellow eyes that he fell in love with.

He got off the sofa and walked over to her, reaching out with a shaky hand and cupping her cheek.

"Lilith," he said.

"I'm home, Heph," Lilith greeted with a smile.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**leader. dbz: Ophis is still the embodiment of Infinity and Chaos. Infinity is a different person altogether. She is the embodiment of all Space and Reality. You won't see them again until the final arc.**

**Rhongomyniad: Yeah. I felt that Aphrodite being Zeus's daughter rather than being born from Ouranos's nutsacks. Besides, this Aphrodite is different from the other Aphrodites. Maybe her cheating ways have caught up with her or does she realize that no one loves her for her and just her body? Who knows but I will expand on her character a bit more as well as her relationship with Hephaestus and how it affects his relationship with Lilith.**

* * *

**Please review! I need it to keep going! Plez. Also, don't worry if it seems short. The chapters will get progressively longer like it did in the first arc so hooray for that. Anyway, I'll leave you with that. Remember to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!**


	34. Interlude

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Lemnos, Greece, 8,900 BCE**

* * *

"This sword is… amazing. How much?"

Hephaestus glanced over at his customer. His customer was a minor god that he had forgotten the name of. Humans in this region primarily lived in fear of the Gods that resided here as well as the various monsters that roamed. The children of Echidna were another one of his regulars as one puts it. People came to him from across the land to purchase tools and weapons.

"Four Drachmas," he said.

"FOUR! That's highway robbery!" the god yelled.

"Well, you're a god. You shouldn't have trouble paying for it," Hephaestus said, hammering away at his latest project.

"I'm a god you stupid blacksmith! Listen to what I say or I shall-!" The arrogant deity immediately went quiet as a massive divine pressure fell on his shoulders. The pressure grew more and more intense as the deity was forced to his knees.

"I won't say this again. Four drachma or it's no deal. Like I said before, you're a god, you should be able to pay this fee for no problem," Hephaestus said, placing his hammer down. He crossed his arms and glared at the deity as the heat inside the room skyrocketed to extremely uncomfortable levels for anyone who wasn't him.

The deity looked at him in shock and fear. This lowly smith before him just radiated power on par with the Gods of Olympus, rivaling that of the oldest Olympians, Hades and Hestia, as well as that of the God-King Zeus. He left in haste, leaving in a burst of green leaves. Hephaestus sighed, his mood soured as he decided to close up shop.

"Leaving so soon?"

Hephaestus turned around and a small smile graced his face.

Before him stood a man. A man was the most accurate way to describe him. The person in front of Hephaestus was more or less a giant, standing at nearly three meters in height. He possessed large muscles, with his biceps easily being twice as thick and wide as Hephaestus's own. His legs were rather thick as well to support his massive frame. The man had blazing red hair as well as a fairly thick beard. His fiery red eyes bore down on Hephaestus as he returned his gaze with a blank yet welcome expression.

"Teacher Pallas, what are we going to do today? Are you going to hit on Thetis despite the fact that Lady Styx told you multiple times not to?" Hephaestus asked, a cheeky grin manifesting itself.

"Cocky brat," Pallas said, placing Hephaestus in a headlock and giving him a noogie.

"But seriously, that's not why I came here today," Pallas said, releasing him.

"Huh? So what is it?" Hephaestus asked, fixing his hair. The two men walked down the street as people gave them a wide berth. The humans of this town loved and adored Hephaestus. He was kind to them and helped provide them with a great fishing harvest due to the fact that he had the Goddess Thetis's favor. But when it came to Pallas, the Titan more or less was the most terrifying thing to come to town. Not even an attack from a Chimera would compare to the massive presence that was the Titan of Combat, Pallas.

"Well, I heard that one of the Knights of Hell was passing through town so I might give you a heads up," Pallas said.

"Do you know which one?" Hephaestus asked.

"Hmmm, I forgot but it was the one with the voice that made you do what she said," he answered.

"Well, as long as she doesn't come to my shop, I guess I'm good," Hephaestus said. The two rounded a corner and headed down to the beach. He conjured a conch shell that he had been storing in a pocket seal and crushed it. The ocean before him churned before parting, allowing Hephaestus to go in between it.

"Hey, kid. Watch out. What you did today? Olympus will probably find out. Just… don't make anything that'll catch their attention because trust me… once you have it, you'll be miserable for the rest of your life," Pallas said.

"I'll keep that in mind but you have to remember… Eventually, Hera will find out I'm alive and come looking for me so I'm living on borrowed time," Hephaestus replied.

"Aren't we all? Take care, kid. And say hi to Nereus and Thetis for me will ya?" Pallas said, vanishing in a burst of red light.

The forge god smiled, allowing himself to be swallowed by the sea and taken down to Thetis's palace.

"Are you not hungry?"

Hephaestus looked up and saw the worried azure eyes of Thetis. She brushed her long black hair aside as she leaned in closer to his face. Hephaestus leaned back as Thetis placed her forehead on his.

"Hmmm, no fever," she said, sitting back. She straightened her dress and placed some seaweed in her mouth.

"Thetis, you know beings like us don't get sick," Hephaestus said.

"I'm just making sure… you are like a son to me after all," she said, smiling. He smiled at that. Thetis was the woman who had raised him his entire life. Told him stories of who he really was and the people who were supposed to be his family. Of course, all of the stories Thetis told him were told with great reverence, however, Hephaestus felt nothing towards the people on Olympus. As far as he was concerned, this woman here was his mother, not some jealous and petty Goddess.

"You know, Pallas said that a Knight from Hell is going to pass through the region," he said.

"That's odd. If I remember correctly, those Demons don't take breaks and go everywhere their wards go to," she said.

"Maybe a Prime Demon is passing through here?" Hephaestus asked.

"Or maybe one has taken up residence here," she said.

"Who knows? But that's pretty risky considering how fickle and petty the Olympians are," he said.

"You may be right on that but remember, Zeus and his siblings saved us from the tyranny of the titan, Cronus, all those years ago," she said.

Hephaestus nodded and continued to eat his food without fuss. The two conversed about various things such as Hephaestus's plans to open a farm within town to help with the funds for his Smithy as well as the recent marriage between Thetis's sister, Amphitrite, and the Olympian Sea God, Poseidon. It was a celebrated marriage and a mutual one at that. One could only wonder how long it would take for the Sea God to become unfaithful to his wife like the Sky God was to his.

* * *

"Excuse me?" a woman asked.

The farmer turned and was immediately entranced by her otherworldly beauty. Her violet-blue eyes shined within the light and her luscious black hair blew in the Mediterranean breeze. Most of all, the farmer smiled lecherously as he saw her body. Her robes failed at hiding that seductive figure.

"Y- Yes?" he asked.

"Can you tell me where the Smithy is? Milady requires some of her jewelry to be repaired," she said.

"Oh," the farmer said. "Well, just down the road, there's a smithy there. It's run by Heph. Nicest guy you'll meet."

"Thank you, sir. Here are a few drachmas for your trouble," she said, placing some coins in his hand.

The woman walked down the street, her eyes closed and deep in thought when another figure materialized next to her.

"Milady, why are you still here?" she asked, her yellow eyes staring into hers.

"Naamah, just let me have my freedom. Running Serpent's Seed and babysitting my siblings for the past several thousand years is bad enough. I just need a break after the fallout with the whole Flood thing," she said.

"As you wish, though, is there anything this humble knight can do?" Naamah asked.

"Just go on vacation like Cain did. Go see, Ouza," she said.

"Elder Sister Lilith…," Naamah pouted, her face stained red before sighing. "Very well."

Naamah dematerialized once more, her presence vanishing. She sighed in content, finally having some proper time to herself as she ascended the steps to a large stone building that she assumed was the smithy. She was slightly annoyed. The Elder Cyclops were all busy with the maintenance of the Older Olympians' weapons and tools so she couldn't go to them.

_I swear if Aphrodite breaks one more bracelet… I will filet her_, she thought. She knocked on the wood door.

"Hello? I'm here to commission a repair?" she asked.

"Give me a second," the smith said.

Lilith waited for a few seconds before the door opened to reveal a slightly disheveled but rather handsome red-haired man. He looked down at her with indifference. Honestly, it kind of annoyed her. Men fell at her feet, even after she worked for the self-proclaimed sexiest being on the planet.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I need this bracelet repaired," she said. Lilith watched as the man roughly snatched the bracelet and inspected it.

"Hmmm, what happened to this and why is it… kind of sticky?" he asked.

"Uhhh, long story short… Milady wanted to try something during one of her little… trysts and decided to use it to keep someone from ejaculating," Lilith said.

"Gross, well, I can tell you that this metal is not receptive to magic at all so fixing it when it has magic-induced corrosion is not something I can do with my present tools so I suggest going somewhere they can," he said, tossing her back the bracelet.

"Hey wait!" she asked.

"What?"

"That sword. How much?"

"Four Drachmas."

"That's it? Here," she said, tossing him a whole bag of coins. Hephaestus's eyes widened as he lifted the bag in front of his face.

"Wow… what is this sword made of? It's so light," she said, swinging it.

"Shouldn't handmaidens be handling clothes and not… weapons?"

"Oh, so you're saying women can't fight?"

"No… I said nothing of the sort. I don't care if you're male or female, I just wondered why a handmaiden purchased a sword…"

"Do you doubt my capabilities to be able to protect milady! Very well then! I challenge thee!"

"Woah! Don't get so easily offended, lady!"

"No! You're slandering my honor!"

"Well, I guess there's no choice but to have a duel!"

"Pallas!"

"Who?"

The two turned to see Pallas standing with his massive frame at the door.

"A duel? What about the town?" Hephaestus asked.

"We'll do it in a field. Plus, I'll cast an anti-magic barrier to prevent the use of any spells," he said.

"I guess… what about our innate abilities?" she asked.

"No use of hereditary powers either," Pallas said.

"When?" Hephaestus asked.

"Now," Lilith said.

* * *

**Field outside of Lemnos**

* * *

"One more time, Lady… you're crazy," Hephaestus said as he twirled around a pair of silver falchions.

"Tch! I told you! My name is Aglaia! I'm a Charite that serves Goddess Aphrodite!" Lilith said as she pointed the sword she purchased at him.

"Remember, you two. No magic. No abilities. Just swords. Ready?"

Lilith and Hephaestus glared at each other, nodding.

"Go!"

The sound of metal clashing rang throughout the field as Hephaestus locked blades with Lilith. She smirked, easily pushing him back. She poured more strength into her blade and staggered him, leaping into the air and swinging her blade down on him.

Hephaestus parried her attack before performing a spin kick that sent her flying across the field. Lilith flipped in midair righting herself before landing gracefully on the ground.

"Not bad for a blacksmith," she said.

"Hmph!" he smirked at her. For some reason, his smirk infuriated her as she disappeared in a burst of speed and appeared in front of Hephaestus. Every instinct in his body told him to move which he did as he narrowly avoided a slash from her.

He brought his knee up, kicking her ribs. She skidded back and glared.

Lilith composed herself before her eyes dulled and she suddenly appeared in front of him and slammed the hilt of the blade into his stomach. Hephaestus felt the air get knocked out of his lungs as he stumbled back. He managed to maintain his balance before every hair on the back of his neck rose and he brought the falchions up and was locked in another deadlock with Lilith.

The two poured their strength into it, neither one giving into the other. They stared into each other's eyes before Hephaestus noticed something and said the words that would end the match.

"You're kind of cute," he said.

Lilith was immediately caught off-guard by the statement as her face turned red, allowing Hephaestus to capitalize on her momentary slip in focus to knock the blade out of her hand. The sword flew into the air and embedded itself in the ground.

"Enough! The victor is Hephaestus," he said.

Lilith sighed and smiled.

"Good job," she said. "Though… that was a cheap trick."

He smirked as he saw her red face. She was honestly cute. The way she played with her fingers as she looked down. It made her look adorable.

"Thanks, Aglaia," he said.

As she picked up her sword, she saw that the sun was beginning to set and gasped.

"I have to go back! If I don't get back in time, Lady Aphrodite will kill me!" she said, grabbing the sword.

"Aphrodite?" Hephaestus asked.

"Gotta go! I'll be back for a rematch, Red!" Lilith said before vanishing in a burst of violet light.

"Nice catch kid," Pallas said, patting his shoulder. "She's a 10 in my books."

"Aren't you married?" Hephaestus asked, narrowing his eyes at the titan.

"I am but you can't help but stop to appreciate the female body," his mentor said with a dreamy smile. For some reason, this didn't sit right with Hephaestus at all. It made him feel strange when Pallas directed that comment at Aglaia.

"You're a gross old man," Hephaestus said.

"Eh? Hey, wait!" Pallas said as Hephaestus walked off.

* * *

It had been months since Hephaestus had met Aglaia. His slow life had continued and he couldn't be happier. He would never give up his peaceful life for anything else for it was away from the main centers of activity of the rulers of the land. The Gods had only ever visited cities that were considered population centers. There was another matter to his life that had changed. Aglaia. She had come often to visit and the two developed a deep friendship. The townsfolk had also gotten used to her and adored her every time she came. Despite her dainty and fragile look, she was capable, helping out in the fields as well as helping out at the docks. She even helped Hephaestus a few times within the forge, learning how to craft basic accessories and repair them. He stated that it was for whenever her mistress broke another piece of jewelry. Her frequent visits to someone other than Hephaestus might be annoying, however, he didn't mind. She was a breath of fresh air in the town that he didn't know that he needed.

He hummed a tune that he had heard from his best friend as he absentmindedly hammered away at a tool that he had been commissioned to make. Pallas's wife, Styx, had asked him to craft her an Oath ring. He had been intrigued by the concept of such a tool as he was asked to infuse the metal he was working with waters from the River Styx. To say that this was one of his greatest achievements was an understatement. After all, he had just begun working with magical tools and Pallas had noted that he had a knack for them.

As he pulled the ring out of the cooling bath, he placed it on the table and began to look for some tools to begin the inscription of various symbols befit of the Goddess of Oaths. As Hephaestus rummaged through his tools, he sensed a massive surge of power envelop the town. It was similar in nature to Pallas, only far more subdued, as if they were trying to conceal the fact that they were here. He sighed. So much for peace. He sensed Thetis's turmoil as an aquamarine flash of light appeared outside his window.

He walked out of his forge to see Thetis staring down a rather slender young man with slightly effeminate looks. He had orange-blonde hair with flowing locks as well as light bronze colored eyes. He wore a white toga with an orange sash that wrapped around his right shoulder. The clothing was tied together at the waist by an intricately designed golden chord. The man smiled politely as Thetis bowed before him.

"Lord Hermes, Messenger of the Olympian Gods, how may this lowly Nereid serve you?" Thetis asked.

"Eh? Can you not bow… that's always made me rather uncomfortable," Hermes said. Thetis nodded and straightened herself, eyeing the Messenger God with such intensity that Hermes couldn't help but flinch underneath her gaze.

"I've received word and heard rumors of a smith here capable of working with magical items. My father, Zeus, has asked me to retrieve such a smith for a special project," he said.

"There's no such smith here. I will have to ask thee to leave," Thetis said.

"I thought you might say that… so my father asked me to make sure. If I find out you're lying, Zeus shall smite the entire town and wipe it off the face of the Earth," Hermes said.

Thetis took a step back, looking at Hermes with a face of disbelief.

_W- Would Zeus go so far as to kill hundreds of innocent people just to find a blacksmith?_ Thetis thought to herself.

"Wait," Hephaestus spoke up, getting in between Hermes and Thetis. "It's me you're looking for… leave Thetis and this town out of this."

"Really? That's good enough for me. I just need proof," the Messenger God said.

Hephaestus gulped and pulled out the Oath Ring he was forging for Styx. "This ring is a divine artifact that I have created using common metals and waters found within the River Styx. This was commissioned by a certain Goddess so you can understand why I don't want to give this to you…"

The mere mention of Styx and a certain Goddess was enough to shut Hermes up as he waved his hands in surrender and nodded.

"Very well, I'll believe you for the sake of believing. If she did commission that… I will have to merely go off faith for this," Hermes said. "Very well. I shall give you two hours to gather your belongings and to say your goodbyes."

"Wait… why?" Thetis asked.

"If he is who he says he is, then he shall relocate to Mount Olympus where he can be easily accessible to the Gods should they need their Symbols of Power to be repaired," Hermes said.

"But what of our village? Hephaestus is a vital part of what we are!" she cried out.

"Not my problem. Zeus's orders. I'll be back in two hours to retrieve you so be ready," Hermes said as he disappeared in a gust of wind.

Hephaestus and Thetis remained silent as the other villagers looked between the two. It was no secret that Thetis saw Hephaestus as her own son. After all, it was her that raised him ever since he fell out of the sky and into the sea.

"Heph, please reconsider going. Where you're going… it is, in some ways, worse than the deepest pits of Tartarus," Thetis said, turning to him.

"But I have to. You heard what that Messenger God said… if we refuse, Zeus will destroy the town," Hephaestus said.

"I just don't want you to…," she said.

"I know… if I go, I will have to confront _her_," Hephaestus said.

"Just be careful," Thetis said. "And don't forget about us."

"I won't. Tell the Old Man that if he wants to see me, come to Olympus," Hephaestus said.

Thetis nodded and the two shared a hug before Hephaestus went to pack his forge.

"Are you ready?" Hermes asked.

"Yeah," Hephaestus said. He glanced over at the several large sacks that sat behind him, causing the Messenger God to sigh. He walked over and grabbed some of the sacks while Hephaestus effortlessly lifted the other ones over his shoulder.

"Let's go, these things are heavy," Hermes said. "Hey, place your hand or elbow or something on me."

Hephaestus nodded as he nudged Hermes. The Messenger God smiled as the two were enveloped in a flash of green light.

* * *

**Mt. Olympus**

* * *

Mount Olympus was a beautiful place. A city that was beyond human understanding, sitting in a dimension that could be accessed at the highest point of the mountain that was named after the city. Hephaestus could not repress the awe he felt when he looked at the city. The marble columns were leagues ahead of what any human city could replicate. The intricate gold designs on every temple and building showed that whoever built this city showed great care in building it. The roads and streets were paved with smooth stone that seemed to be eternally polished. Various waterways line the walkways as small water nymphs and spirits played in these artificial streams. Trees, as well as some plants, could be seen on a few of the terraces.

"Hephaestus?"

He stopped and saw a familiar face. "Hey, Aglaia."

Lilith was shocked to see him on Olympus. She thought he'd never come here, considering how much he loved his life on the coast. Lilith sprinted over and hugged him tightly. He returned her hug with equal force and the two stayed like that until Hermes coughed.

"You two can get reacquainted later but for now, come on, big guy," Hermes said.

"I'll catch you later?" Lilith asked.

"Yeah, count on it," Hephaestus said. He waved goodbye and continued to follow Hermes down the path. As the two Gods walked, Hephaestus stopped and glanced over to his right.

There stood a large empty temple that had an abundance of life flowing through it. He walked up the stairs, completely forgetting that he was supposed to follow Hermes and entered the temple. There inside the temple stood a massive brazier that contained a massive roaring flame. The flames twisted and danced in the wind, seeming to take notice of his presence as the intensity of the heat increased. It was nothing Hephaestus couldn't stand considering his abilities. The flames seemed pleased with his presence and began to shape themselves into a figure. The figure was feminine in shape and had a delicate face with a gentle smile. The more she took form, the more Hephaestus felt at ease. She sat on the ledge of the brazier, dangling her legs off as she fully manifested before him.

Portions of her body still retained their flame-like look but Hephaestus could see that this was clearly a Goddess. Her age and power outstripped that of Thetis and surpassed even Pallas. Her blazing red hair mimicked the flames behind her, dancing and twisting. Her gentle warm eyes put his soul and being at ease as she sent him a gentle smile.

"So you're the new friend my baby brother called over?" she said, moving from her spit and hovering in front of his face. Hephaestus remained still as the Fire Goddess moved around him.

She reappeared in front of him with a gentle smile and cupped his face with her right hand. Strangely, despite the flaming aura around her, he wasn't burned.

"Welcome to Mount Olympus… wait, I should say this instead. Welcome back, Hephaestus," she said, smiling.

"W- Who are you? How do you know my name?" Hephaestus asked, slightly backing away.

"I am Hestia. Guardian of this Flame. Goddess of Sacred Fire, Home, and Hearth," Hestia said, giggling at his reaction. "And of course I know you, I bless all the newborn Godlings. Despite her seeming resentment of you, she still brought you to me…"

_She did? But why bother if you were just going to throw me off Olympus_, Hephaestus thought.

"Will you tell everyone who I am?" Hephaestus asked.

Hestia shook her head. "I just said welcome didn't I?"

He remained silent.

"But why? Why would you-?"

"Enough of that… I can see the pain in your eyes every time someone brings up my little sister. But I can also see how kind you are… so please Nephew, don't do anything too rash and remember that you're always welcome here," she said. She tapped his forehead and Hephaestus blinked as he found himself standing next to Hermes.

"So here we are," Hermes said.

"Huh, right," Hephaestus said, glancing over his shoulder. The Temple of Hestia stood a few hundred feet back in the way they came. He smiled. At least one of his family members was welcoming.

Hermes pushed the doors open to reveal a throne room with eleven empty thrones all except for the one at the center. The room was filled with the smell of ozone as a man with dark hair and a slight beard sat on the central throne. His imposing and muscular figure sent a wave of slight fear and apprehension traveling throughout Hephaestus's body as the God's azure blue eyes bore into his very being.

The Smith bowed before Zeus, showing his respect to the King of the Gods.

"Hermes, is this the smith?" he asked.

"Yes, Lord Zeus," Hermes said.

"He doesn't look like much," Zeus said, stroking his beard.

Hephaestus looked down, relieved at the fact that Zeus might reject him so that he could return to his idyllic life by the sea.

"But… considering that the Hekatonkeries and Elder Cyclopes are busy with other things such as… Prometheus's… you know," Zeus said. "Very well… a trial run right here. Make something for us, Smith."

"As you wish, your highness, though if I may say something," Hephaestus said.

"What is it?" Zeus asked.

"I haven't used my powers to create in a while so forgive me if this trial run fails to live up to any expectations that you may have," Hephaestus said, apologizing in advance.

"It matters not. I have no expectations at the moment."

That comment stung Hephaestus's pride as a smith a little. His creative powers were no joke according to Thetis. With it, it was possible for him to forge weapons that were on par with Zeus's lightning bolt.

He nodded and knelt before Hermes, asking him to remove his sandals. Hermes complied and removed them. The Forge God placed his hand above Hermes' feet and closed his eyes. Wispy blue energy surrounded the feet of the Messenger God and a blue light emanated from the throne room. When the light died, a new pair of golden sandals adorned the feet of Hermes. Two white wings fluttered at the mouth of the sandal.

"Woah," Hermes said as he moved his feet around.

"Test it out, Lord Hermes," Hephaestus said. Hermes nodded and walked, only to embed himself into the wall. Zeus raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"May I ask what the purpose of those sandals were?" Zeus asked.

"They were made with his frame in mind. Lord Hermes seems to be a person who would use his speed and natural agility in combat thus I created a pair of sandals that would capitalize on that. And this would make his job easier," Hephaestus said.

"I see… very well. You start in an hour. I shall have someone prepare an area for you to work in," Zeus said.

"Actually, I don't need-!"

"Nonsense. As our new Forgemaster, you will require a place to work in," Zeus said, laughing.

"I see," he said, looking down. Hephaestus looked back at Zeus and smiled. "I thank you for your hospitality, Milord."

"So this is it?" Hephaestus asked, inspecting the crackling bronze cylinder. He looked at it closely, coating his hand in energy to prevent it from getting burned off. Hephaestus and Zeus were currently within Hephaestus' new workspace. It was a work in progress but Zeus wanted him to get to work as fast as possible.

"It was stronger back in the day," Zeus said.

"How much stronger?" Hephaestus asked, telekinetically lifting the cylinder.

"I could knock a Titan off its feet with it and pierce my father," Zeus said.

"I see… it looks like the core that the weapon uses is wearing down," the Forge God said.

"Wearing down? What do you mean?" Zeus asked.

"The core uses Enchanted Fulgurite. Fulgurite is a crystal or formation that is created when lightning strikes the ground… sometimes. It seems that this was made due to the haste of the Titan War. You needed a weapon immediately I presume?" Hephaestus asked.

"Yes… though I didn't realize that my hastiness could have affected my weapon so," Zeus said.

"It's alright. I can just transfer the power contained in the crystal to a new more stable core," Hephaestus said.

"Really? How long will it take?"

"Considering that the power contained in this core belongs to who I think it does, it will take me a few days at most," Hephaestus said. "And the strongest metal you can find me."

"I see. Very well, I shall send Hermes down to the Underworld to retrieve Stygian Iron for you," Zeus said. He clapped Hephaestus's shoulder. "I thank you for your work."

Hephaestus nodded in shock. From what he heard, Zeus was not one to hand out compliments so easily but considering that this cylinder was his precious weapon, it was understandable.

Hephaestus wiped the sweat off his forehead as he fanned the flames inside his new forge. Getting the Stygian Iron to melt was an endeavor in and of itself. The melting point of the metal reached in the tens of thousands, higher than even pure tungsten. He leaned back as he watched the metal begin to melt.

"So this is the new forge?"

Hephaestus glanced over his shoulder and saw someone leaning against the door. The man was a tall and muscular deity, perhaps even more so than Pallas. His red eyes held a hint of arrogance within them. He had curly blonde hair with a bang going down to the left of his face. He wore a red cape with a loincloth and waist cloak. On his head was a black helmet with intricate markings depicting war.

"You must be Lord Ares," Hephaestus said.

"And the lowly smith knows his place. How quaint. Just came to see this shit hole," Ares said, walking out. "Carry on."

Hephaestus nodded and glanced at the person who had accompanied Ares. His breath hitched upon seeing her. She was the most beautiful being he had ever seen. Her flowing sun-kissed blonde hair and multicolored eyes were a sight to see. Her buxom figure, which was barely contained by her toga, was tantalizing and hypnotized him. She glanced over her shoulder and sent him a small wave, making Hephaestus wave dumbly back.

"Right!" Hephaestus said, running back to the furnace. As he began fretting over the mold, he accidentally knocked over a set of papers. A blueprint. A blueprint for a throne. A throne for the Queen.

* * *

Hephaestus walked into the Throne Room accompanied by Hermes. He saw that it wasn't empty this time but rather, the room was filled with other Gods. He recognized some of them such as Ares and the Blonde Goddess that he met a few days back. At the head of the room, Zeus sat on his throne next to the Goddess that had birthed him. Mixed feelings began to bubble within his heart with hatred being the most prevalent among them.

The Goddess in question was practically a male version of Hephaestus. She had blazing, imperial orange eyes that looked at him as if he was insignificant. However, he could make out traces of shock and some regret beneath those emotions. Like Hephaestus, she had flowing auburn hair. The Goddess wore an elegant blue toga.

"I present you your new bolt, Lord Zeus," Hephaestus said. "I had to pull a few favors to get some Old Times Tongue Runes engraved on the new core."

"I see. May I?" Zeus asked, walking off his throne. He nodded, presenting the bolt to Zeus. Zeus took the Bolt and ran his power through it. The Bolt crackled with newfound power, lighting up the entire room. Deciding to test it, Zeus walked over to the edge of the Throne Room and fired it. His aim, a rather large unsuspecting island in the Atlantic Ocean. The energy discharged from the Bolt rocked the entire planet as the island was erased from the face of the planet. The waters around it boiled from the sheer heat of the blast until all that was left was large amounts of steam.

Hermes whistled at the sheer intensity of the blast.

"Impressive. It seems that you have proven yourself, Smith. Tell me, what is your name?" Zeus asked.

"Hephaestus, milord. My name is Hephaestus," he said.

"Very well, Hephaestus. I, Zeus, for this incredible show of craftsmanship and for repairing one of Olympus's most sacred treasures, offer you a spot on the Council," Zeus said.

"What? He gets a spot for fixing your Bolt!?" Ares said.

The other Gods chorused in agreement.

"Father, I believe that is unwise," Athena said.

"Brother, think of what you're doing?" a black-haired man with green eyes said.

"Athena, Ares, Poseidon, quiet down. I can make this decision as I please for I am King," Zeus said.

The Gods quieted down, begrudgingly accepting Zeus's decision.

"I… I don't deserve this," Hephaestus said.

"You don't," Hera said, looking at him with a level of disgust.

Hephaestus looked down, his hatred for Hera growing by the second.

"Wife. Quiet down and-"

Zeus went quiet when a calming yet powerful presence entered the room. The doors opened to reveal Hestia. She calmly walked into the throne room with a small smile on her face.

"Sister," Hera said.

"I, for one, back Zeus's decision. I believe that Heph would be a great addition to the Olympian Council," Hestia said. Zeus and Hephaestus sent her a look of appreciation.

* * *

Hephaestus's life quickly went back to normal after that event. Well, almost normal. On top of his assignments, which were mostly from Ares, Hephaestus now attended council meetings and quickly realized that politics within the Greek Pantheon was based on one of two things: Power and Beauty. It was obvious right away that the stronger Gods had the most power. The Olympians were the most powerful Gods on this mountain and it was natural for them to lord over the minor Gods, though Hephaestus didn't agree with that sentiment.

Aglaia also visited him frequently, now that she didn't have to fly down to Greece to do it. The two constantly spent time with each other, eating at all the popular eateries on Olympus as well as talking about each other's lives. At one point, he laughed as Aglaia complained about her mistress's tendencies to bring multiple lovers into the temple and how she would have to clean up vaginal discharge as well as seminal fluids that would be scattered all over the temple. She even considered quitting at some point. All in all, Hephaestus was just happy to see her again and vice versa.

His hatred for his birth mother diminished into anger. He still wanted justice for what she did to him and so, with whatever free time he had, he constructed something for her. A throne. A throne that would suppress and drain her divine power, essentially making her as weak as a mortal. A perfect way to get back at her. Make her feel as powerless as his infant self did.

He would make this known today at the council meeting. He would shame her in front of the Gods. The throne was a beautiful thing. A golden chair with rubies encrusted onto the sides. Intricate engravings of all of Hera's lined the chair's arms.

He snapped his fingers and transported the chair into a small pocket dimension that was engraved onto his glove.

"Hey, Heph! It's time for the meeting," Hermes said, standing outside his temple door.

"Right!"

Hephaestus walked out of his temple and began to walk with Hermes. Ahead of them, Aphrodite walked with a seductive sway in her walk. She glanced over her shoulder, feeling their gaze and winked at Hermes, making obscene gestures with her right hand.

Hermes and Hephaestus both blushed at her gesture.

As they walked, Hephaestus began to think of a way to do this. To bind and trap Hera.

_Perhaps at the end of the meeting_, he thought as they walked into the throne room. The meeting was nothing special. It was more of Zeus puffing his chest and glorifying himself. He had gotten used to such things. During these meetings, he spent his time thinking of new things to make. Possible new weapons as well as some improvements.

"And that's all," Zeus said. "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

Hephaestus quickly shot up and walked to the center of the throne room.

"Milord, if I may. I have prepared a gift for the Queen," Hephaestus said.

"A gift?" Zeus asked.

The Forge God nodded and snapped his fingers. The throne he had created manifested in front of them, amazing all the Gods at its wondrous beauty.

"This is for me?" Hera asked.

"Yes, it is. You do know who I am right?" Hephaestus asked.

All the Gods looked between the two, intrigued at Hephaestus's question. Just what was the relationship between the Queen of the Gods and the newest God inaugurated into their council.

Hera remained silent. She had a sneaking suspicion of who he was. After all, he bore a striking resemblance to her down to the shape of his eyes. Her mind denied it. It couldn't possibly be him. He was but an infant when she threw him off Olympus. There was no way he could have survived. Even as a God, an infant is still an infant.

"I see," Hephaestus said, seeing her silence. He sighed. "Still, as a present to you, Your Highness. If your Majesty, Lord Zeus, receives a gift from the new Smith, it is only right that I grant one to our Queen as well."

Zeus let out a booming laugh. He was beginning to like this new God.

"Well Wife, it would be rather rude to refuse a gift," Zeus said. Hera nodded and she stood, allowing Zeus to swap the thrones. Zeus snapped his fingers and Hera's throne was replaced with the throne Hephaestus forged.

Hephaestus let out a small smile. His plan was coming to fruition. Now she would know what it felt like to be weak.

As Hera sat on the throne, she immediately realized that something was amiss. She tried to get up only to fail. Her power was leaving her at an exponential rate with every passing second. Her eyes lit up in a panic as she looked across the entire council room. None of them seemed to notice that something was wrong with her. Her own husband even had the gall to smile and not notice her increased panic. She turned back to Hephaestus, whose eyes held a feeling of triumph and satisfaction.

_Is he… is he enjoying this?_ Hera thought as she saw the glee in his eyes.

"Are you enjoying your chair, your Highness?" Hephaestus asked.

"What did you do?" Hera growled as she tried to move once more. It was then that Zeus noticed something was wrong. The way Hera responded. He could sense the panic in her voice. Her body language, the way she struggled to even lift her body from sitting position. As he reached out to touch her, a shock of energy forced him to retract his hand almost immediately.

The other gods went quiet at this point.

"Undo this," Zeus ordered.

"No," Hephaestus said.

"I command you as your King!" Zeus barked.

"You don't seem very kingly right now," Hephaestus said.

"Insolent cur!" the God-King said as he raised his Master Bolt. He was about to throw it when he heard Hephaestus speak.

"If you kill me here, you will not be able to free her from that chair," Hephaestus said. Zeus paused immediately, gritting his teeth in anger.

"What do you want?" Zeus asked.

"I want nothing from you but I do want something from her," the Forge God said.

"What do you want from me?" Hera asked.

"Do you remember who I am?"

Hera looked at him and immediately looked away. She knew. The moment she saw hatred enter his eyes, she knew immediately who this man was in front of her. Guilt flowed into her like never before but she didn't understand why she felt that way. That boy was her greatest shame. He didn't live up to any of her expectations of beauty and grace. Not like… not like Athena. The child born from Zeus's previous marriage with the Titaness, Metis.

"I do," she finally said after moments of silence. Zeus and the others remained silent. "You… you are the greatest shame that I have ever conceived…"

Zeus quirked an eyebrow. Conceived? Does that mean that Hera was, at some point, unfaithful to him?

"Wait… conceived?" Hermes asked.

"I was conceived without the seed of a male deity… all in an effort for her to prove that any child born from her would be superior to the one born from a previous union," Hephaestus said.

"W- Who told you that?" Hera asked.

"Thetis… She rescued me from certain death and I was raised by her. I never planned on returning here. All I wanted was to be away from the bitch that tried to kill me for not turning out the way she wanted. Rather than wait for me to mature and grow, she eliminated, or tried to kill me on the spot," Hephaestus said.

"Is that true, Hera?" Demeter asked a bit horrified that her sister could perform such horrid acts.

Hera looked away from them.

"And they refer to you as the Goddess of Motherhood? Please… don't make me laugh. You are not my mother. You never will be… Thetis is the only mother that I ever had," Hephaestus said.

Those words cut deep into Hera. The full weight of what she had done had finally caught up with her. Her son… the one she had thrown away just days after he was born had grown. Grown into a powerful and graceful God and she was never there to witness it. In a way, her son had surpassed Athena in her eyes. And every realization that she had made her heart ache with a pain greater than when she had realized Zeus cheated on her. The pain of a mother whose own child hated her. And he had every right to do so.

"Hephaestus… my child, I realize that I have done a great sin against you. The greatest sin a parent can ever commit and that is to abandon their child," Hera said.

Hephaestus scoffed at her words.

"I know that your hatred of me will never cease and I can understand that… which is why I am prepared to spend the rest of my immortal life trying to make it up to you. To somehow gain forgiveness that I know that my foolish heart does not deserve," Hera said. "And if trapping me in this chair will help in that regard, then I accept this punishment."

Hephaestus remained silent. He had never expected that from her. His mind became conflicted… for a good few seconds. He turned around and began to walk towards the door.

"WAIT!"

Hephaestus paused and turned to see Aphrodite behind him.

"Please… I beg you! Let Lady Hera free!" Aphrodite said.

"Why should I?" Hephaestus asked.

"Please… Queen Hera is an important part of this council and an important Goddess. If she were to remain trapped, marriages would fall without her to oversee them and our enemies would take this as a sign of weakness," she said.

"I fail to see how any of that is my problem," he said.

Aphrodite bit her lip. She tried diplomacy and it was clearly destined to fail so she had to use the one weapon she had that worked on all male deities. Seduction.

"If you free her, I shall offer you anything," she said.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

Hephaestus placed his hand on his chin. Aphrodite offered him anything in exchange for Hera's freedom. A tempting offer but he was raised properly. He would not demand her body like the other Gods. Instead, all he would ask for is a chance. A chance to earn her affection and her entire self. But he needed to confirm if her offer was true. He needed an oath.

"Swear…," he mumbled.

Aphrodite looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Swear upon the River Styx that you will abide by your offer," he said.

Aphrodite gulped. She glanced back at the other Gods who nodded. She really hated this. Hephaestus was dreadfully below her standards in terms of male Gods. Despite the fact that he grew into Hera's looks, the scar wasn't doing him any favors with her and his frame wasn't as delicious as Ares and his aura wasn't domineering either. But this was her duty. Hera owed her big time for this.

"I swear upon the River Styx to abide by my offer," Aphrodite said. A violet ring encircled her throat before fading.

"There," Hephaestus said, waving his hand. Several Greek letters appeared in front of him before fading. Hera's eyes widened as she felt her power returning to her. She moved, standing from the chair and looked towards her son. He looked at her with indifference before turning to Aphrodite.

"What is your wish?" Aphrodite asked.

"Allow me to court you," Hephaestus said. Her eyes widened. Courtship? She was familiar with the term but… with him. But she had to accept, she made an oath after all and Styx was not a forgiving Goddess.

"Very well, I, Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty, allow you, Hephaestus, God of…," she trailed off, forgetting what he was the God of.

"God of the Forge, Fire, and Technology," he said.

"Hephaestus, God of the Forge, Fire, and Technology, to court me," she said, forcing the last part out.

"Thank you. I shall try to make you see that I can make you happy," he said.

"Yeah… sure," she said.

From her temple, Hestia watched all the events transpire from the flames. She sighed. Only a few weeks and her nephew had shown the capacity for vengeance. She was happy that he freed her sister but… his wish from Aphrodite. That Goddess was not relationship material. Hestia frowned and gazed at her nephew sadly. His life… he was not meant for Olympus. He was too kind. Too gentle. Even with his capacity for hatred and vengeance, he was not suited for a place where one's ego was greater than the power of Shiva.

"Oh Nephew, I pray for you to have a life where you can definitely be happy," Hestia said.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**OenscherC: Yes, there will be more romantic moments. **

**18Andrew: Yes, there will be lemon scenes. I'm just waiting for the right moment to put it in. I'll probably do it on his birthday like I did last time.**

**Masterboy: It's still there. Issei's deal isn't going anywhere.**

* * *

**Hey, guys so this was an interlude chapter. I figured I may as well tell some of Hephaestus's backstory in a chapter. We'll go back to the plot in the next chapter so be ready. **


	35. The Prophet

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Ayr, Scotland, August 10, 2020, 1:30 PM, Current Time: 2 Minutes and 40 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

"_Irina glared at the demon before her…_ No, that doesn't sound right," a girl said to herself. She mashed the backspace button rapidly, erasing her sentence. She ran her hands through her blonde locks and sighed. Her alarm went off, causing her to groan in annoyance.

"Time to take my meds," she muttered. She got up and walked over to her table and grabbed a bottle. She opened it, taking out a small pill and placing it in her mouth. She grabbed the glass of water that sat beside it and drank it.

As she walked back to her computer chair, she suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her head. Her eyes snapped open, flickering gold repeatedly.

_A scene played out before her. This one was far more horrifying than anything she had ever dreamed of or daydreamed of. In front of her was a burning town. Burnt bodies lay everywhere. Loud explosions resonated from the sky as two red blurs collided with each other. She recognized one of them. Sirzechs Lucifer. He was covered in his Power of Destruction Aura. _

_The other one was a woman she didn't recognize however, the woman had red hair much like Sirzechs. Her eyes were spinning with an arcane symbol. Other beings were battling as well. Gods fighting Demons. Angels fighting Demons. Devils fighting Demons. _

_An ear-piercing roar shattered the burning sky. A massive western dragon flew across the sky. It had to be at least a few hundred meters in length. A crown of ten horns sat upon its head with two large horns forming a v-shaped crescent and two sets of four smaller horns. The red scales on its skin were tinted black. Its eyes were a malevolent gold as it unleashed a deluge of fire on an unsuspecting group. _

_Another Dragon flew in the sky as well. A pure black, serpentine dragon with two pairs of feathered wings. It had a crown of six horns with two larger horns framing its snout. It roared, discharging large amounts of destructive violet lightning, scorching the land around them._

_At the center of it all, a woman hovered in the air. Her snow-white hair, her toxic yellow eyes, her nigh-expressionless face made her recognizable to her. Six floating blades floated telekinetically behind her._

"_It's all over… you can't fight your destiny," she said._

_A boy stood in front of her. His red gauntlet tipped her off to his identity. That and the people behind him. His friends. The Occult Research Club. The boy's identity was clear to her. He was Issei Hyoudou._

"_Screw destiny," Issei said._

"_It is written, Issei. You are the one. You were always the one… now, accept your fate," she said as she summoned several portals all charged with powers from all Devil Clans._

_She watched in horror as the woman fired._

A ringing sound interrupted her vision, the golden glow fading from her eyes. She rubbed her forehead, feeling the throbbing pain still resonating within every brain cell within her skull. She growled in annoyance as she walked over to her phone and unlocked it. A text from her editor was on the screen.

_Hey, Nancy! It's me, Mikasa, your editor from Fantasia Bunko! Some people want to meet you!_

_Meet with me?_ The now-named Nancy thought.

_Who wants to meet?_ Nancy typed on her phone.

_Some new authors! They said they wanted some advice from the author of Highschool DxD!_

"Oh God, fans," Nancy groaned, typing rapidly that she didn't want to meet any fans.

_Like I said, they're not fans. They're just new authors who are looking for some advice and inspiration in order to get some footing on their new story!_

"I guess that's fine," she said to herself.

_Okay._

_Sweet! They'll get to Scotland in a few days so be prepared_, her editor responded.

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, One Day Earlier**

* * *

"Nyaaaa~," Kuroka moaned erotically as she laid on the couch. Issei smiled with a healthy blush on his face as he massaged her back. It had been a few weeks since Kuroka and Issei had seen each other with her job in Kyoto and all that. Thus, any romantic connections that Kuroka wanted to make had to be strong and impressionable. Her job would keep her away from Issei for long periods and so, she would need to keep up with Rossweisse and Irina when she was away. Speaking of which, the two had been on more dates with Issei than she did. She could count… well, she could count how many times she hadn't been on a date with Issei. They had yet to go on one.

"Kuroka, you have a lot of stress in your mid-back," Issei said, applying some pressure.

**(It seems that you're bringing her closer to orgasm than you are to removing her stress)** Mastema interjected. Issei nearly jumped out of his skin at Mastema's sudden interruption.

He hadn't expected to hear from any of his mental residents today. Ddraig and Tiamat were napping inside the gear while Mastema stated that she would meditate. She was watching the entire time. Issei glanced to his side and saw the familiar translucent figure of the being inside his soul floating above Kuroka. In her arms was a bowl of popcorn chicken. Where she got the food, he didn't know.

"_Come on! Don't do that! What if I accidentally hit a nerve and paralyzed her from the waist down!_" Issei hissed to her.

**(My bad, my bad but seriously, look at her face)** Mastema said, placing her hand on her chin.

"_I can see that_," Issei said as he removed his hand.

"Alright, finished," Issei said.

"Issei-kun?" Kuroka said, sitting up as she put her kimono back on. She looked at him as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"I'm fine," Issei said with a slightly red face.

"Well, if you need to talk, I'm right here and will be here until… about five?" Kuroka glanced at the clock in the living room. It was 2:45 PM.

Issei nodded, looking down at the floor. He wondered how she would take it if she knew what was happening. What would happen to him at the end of the year… but he wouldn't. At least not yet. He still hadn't told his friends in the ORC nor had he told his other sisters, Asia and Lily. Maybe Kuroka could provide some insight on keeping secrets from your younger siblings. After all, Koneko never knew Kuroka's true intentions until much later and spent the majority of her life being afraid of her own powers and her sister.

"Hey, Kuroka," Issei finally said.

"Hmm?" her ears twitched as she heard Issei speak.

"How do you deal with keeping secrets from your siblings?" Issei asked.

"Secrets? Like what kind? Earth-shattering like mine or minor like the fact that you may have erectile dysfunction," Kuroka said.

"Er… earth-shattering," he clarified.

"Hmmm, well, as you know, I slaughtered my King to protect Shirone from being used as an experiment for a Demonic Power-Senjutsu merging power thing," Kuroka said. "Why what's wrong?"

Issei looked away.

"Come on Issei. You can talk to me? Don't we have something?" Kuroka asked, remembering the kiss she gave him during the Azazel Cup.

Issei looked at her, knowing what she meant. Their relationship prior to… well, everything was fairly normal. She was another member of his harem so what should change between them. Though, he did realize that their connection was fading and… he didn't want to lose her. She was still the same affectionate girl who sacrificed her entire future and freedom for family.

"Well, it's far more complicated but I guess I'll let you in on the details. I feel like you'll be the only person who understands sacrifice," Issei said.

"Alright, but you're kind of scaring me, Issei," Kuroka said.

"Yeah, me too," he said before he began spilling his guts to her.

* * *

**Kegon Falls, Japan**

* * *

"Irina, are you sure that we shouldn't bring Issei with us?" Rikka asked, trying to keep pace with her.

"Yeah, I mean, from what you guys told me about… what the hell Issei got himself into, it's only right, right? This is his deal. Maybe they'll rescind it if he confronts them willingly?" Bova said.

Irina stopped in the middle of the ramp, looking down at the ground and sighing. She glanced over her shoulder, her cold violet eyes unnerving the two.

"Senpai, Bova, Issei doesn't need to know about this because… lately, he's been out of it. He hasn't mentioned his deal not once. Not ever since that day Mitsuki and I found out. Now while Mitsuki spends her time in the Blacklight Data Archives looking for ways to break it, I'll go ask an actual Devil how," she responded.

"But who are you going to find? It's not like you can just walk up to any elder Devil and they'll talk to you," Bova said.

"There is one… in Blacklight who I think might help," she said, continuing her walk down the ramp.

"Wait, Dantalion? You're going to ask Dantalion?" Rikka asked.

"She's the best we've got right now," Irina responded as she walked over to the Warp Gate Terminal. She tapped the operator on the shoulder.

"Open a Gate to Sioux Falls, South Dakota," Irina said.

The operator nodded and pushed a few buttons before pulling the lever. A massive green vortex opened before them and the three walked through. On the other side, Irina, Rikka, and Bova were greeted with a massive amount of workers moving in and out of green portals. Sparing no time to reminisce about her experience here, she immediately left the hangar bay with a frazzled Rikka and Bova on her tail.

As she walked, she heard someone call out to her.

"Irina?"

Irina turned around to see Eric and Lisa standing across the hallway.

"Eric. Lisa," Irina said.

"This is a surprise. What brings you by?" Eric asked.

"I need to talk to Dantalion," she said.

"Dantalion? Uh yeah sure. Dantalion's down in the MagiTech Facility. We can take you there if you want," Lisa said as she walked over to one of the carts used to get around such a massive base.

The angel nodded gratefully as she and her friends hopped on the cart with Eric and Lisa.

"So where's Tohka and Mica?" Rikka asked.

"They're on an assignment. We've detected high amounts of monster activity in Quebec and they're taking care of it," Lisa said, turning a corner.

"Quebec? What's going on up there?" Bova asked. He was still getting used to the whole assignments thing. All he had learned so far he had learned from Rikka.

"Werewolf turf war. You see werewolves here aren't as organized as they are back in the Old World. Here they're more like gangs," Eric said. "And like gangs, werewolf packs have territories and when one pack enters the territory of another…"

"A war happens," Rikka said. "Are you sure they'll be alright?"

"They'll be fine," Lisa said. She looked in the rearview mirror to see Irina being oddly silent. Despite not knowing her well, Lisa was more than adept in psychology to see that that expression on her face was not normal. Not in the slightest. This girl had a lot on her mind. A burden that she forced herself to carry for reasons that Lisa couldn't possibly begin to fathom.

"So why are you visiting Dantalion?" Lisa asked, her yellow eyes staring directly into Irina's.

"Huh? No reason… DxD's putting together a manhunt for the demons that escaped from that Gehenna Gate and so, we figured that since Beelzebub ran the whole operation, they thought that maybe an ancient devil was working with him," she said, completely talking out of her ass.

"Hmm, so you think Dantalion might be able to identify who he was working with? Does that have anything with what might have happened down in Southeast Asia?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, possibly. I mean, Lord Hephaestus did give us these things that will compare the two signatures for a possible match," she said.

"I see," Lisa said as she slowed down outside a set of massive metal doors.

The five exited the cart and walked inside. The MagiTech Department looked similar to the one in Greece with all the people working the assembly line and whatnot. Various agents in white coats rushed past them, all looking at their tablets and expertly maneuvering their surroundings with great ease. Lisa led them to an office in the back, much like Hephaestus was.

"Dantalion," Lisa said, knocking on the door.

The door opened to reveal the silvery-blue haired devil in the middle of some work. Her toxic yellow eyes reminded Irina so much of the demons that she and her friends have fought, yet they contained none of the malevolence they did.

Interrupted from her work, Dantalion sighed and placed her tools down. She turned in her chair to look at them.

"Oh, Michael's Ace… Taki's Apprentice, and… new guy?" Dantalion said, tilting her head when she saw Bova. She smiled and crossed her arms.

"Well, well, well, you three are new visitors. I never get any new people coming down here," Dantalion said, standing.

"Wait, I'm here to ask about-"

"Upapap! Let's go make this a bit more private shall we?" Dantalion said, summoning a large magic circle. Several pieces of text from various cultures around the world revolved around the room before everything turned grey, except for them.

"Private?"

"No one can hear us speak nor see us. It's a nifty little spell I picked up while I was in…among some monks in Tibet. It's all based on a concept known as Wu… which literally means Not," she said, smiling.

"Alright," Irina said.

"So… what does the Ace of Michael want with me? Is this about the typhoon down in Southeast Asia because I can tell you right now… it wasn't me. I swear I wasn't playing with the weather machine," Dantalion said.

"The what? You know what, nevermind, what do you know about deals?" she asked.

"That's an archaic concept. I thought that stuff went out of fashion after Mom died. You know she outlawed it but secretly brought it back during the Great War because she got desperate. I mean her kids and grandkids were dying left and right and she lost Lotan and…"

"Dantalion, focus," Lisa said. "Though, I am curious… why do you want to know about an outlawed practice?"

"Because… Issei made one. A deal," Irina said.

"He did?" Eric asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I know it sounds crazy but he did. Mitsuki died a while back. Died trying to save his life and Issei just went," Irina couldn't even finish. The mere thought of her boyfriend selling his soul to such vile beings left a bad taste in her mouth.

"So how long does he get?" Dantalion asked.

"Right now… he has about six months left and he hasn't done anything to save himself. He's just taking assignments from Blacklight and DxD like nothing's happened. Like I won't have to watch him die in a year," she said.

"Have you ever thought that this might be his way of coping with his situation?" Dantalion asked.

Irina shook her head.

"I see… but anyway, let's get back to business, shall we? The deals? I can't break them per se but," she said. "To break a deal, you must do one of three things."

"What are they?" Rikka asked.

"One way is to take your contract back from the devil who holds it. This is rather difficult no?" she said.

The three nodded.

"Two is perhaps the most straightforward and easy one. All deals run on a system of magic that is based on contracts and thus, violating part of a contract would activate the magic imbued into deal-making. Said stipulation being that Issei has to die. All he has to do is survive until the next day on the day of his death," Dantalion said.

"Right, and the last?" Irina asked.

"Kill the contract holder," she said.

"Kill?"

"If for some reason, the contract holder has hidden the contract or made it impossible to access, kill the holder. A deal requires both parties to be alive, part of the contract magic that holds the entire thing together. Without the dealer, the whole contract falls apart," Dantalion said.

"Easier said than done and I don't want option three to be the one option… not unless it really has to be," Irina said.

"Okay, so the first and third one sound viable. How do we find the demon that Issei made a deal with?" Bova asked.

"That's rather easy. All you need to do is summon it," Dantalion said.

"Well, sorry to disappoint but we don't have a pamphlet with its magic circle on it lying around," Irina said.

"Oh please, not that new age bullshit. That's so… ugh. This is old. Deep dark medieval magic, complete with dead animal bones, blood, and Latin chanting," Dantalion said.

Irina grimaced at that. She had heard of magic like that. It was practiced by humans during Dark Age Europe… at the height of the Great War. That was blasphemy in the eyes of a believer like her but… what was she to do? Issei's salvation was far more important than her beliefs at the moment.

"What do I need?" Irina asked.

"Well…," Dantalion said as she began thinking of the ingredients.

* * *

Mitsuki sighed as she walked through the door of their house. Hours of research only to find nothing. Not even a smidge of how to overturn a deal or anything. She only hoped that Irina had better luck than she did. The Angel had sent her a text that she would be gone for the next few days on some mission with Rikka but would continue looking for more ways to free Issei from his contract. But it wasn't over. Not if the large bag of books and tomes had anything to say about it. As she entered the living room, she saw her brother passed out on the couch.

"Oh Aniki," Mitsuki said, grabbing a blanket from one of the chairs and covering him.

"Nee," a voice said. She turned to see Lily running down the hall. The little redhead jumped and hugged her, causing Mitsuki to smile and hug her back.

"Hey, Lily. How are you?" she said.

"Look!" Lily said as she opened her hands. A small ice bird manifested in her hands, taking off and flying around Mitsuki. She smiled. Lily was getting stronger. Teaching her how to use her powers was a decision that Issei had made after the two were kidnapped by Beelzebub and to prepare her for a world without him. Not that she would ever let that happen. She was going to save him. Even if she died trying.

The door suddenly opened as Asia and Eren walked in with serious faces. The two saw Mitsuki playing with Lily and sighed in relief.

"Nee-san," Asia said.

"Asia?" Mitsuki said, turning her head. She saw the serious look on her sister's face. "Do I want to know?"

"Yeah, you'll want to see this… and so does everyone," Eren said, tossing a book in front of her. Mitsuki raised an eyebrow as she caught it in her hands. She turned it around and read the title.

_Highschool DxD_

"What the…?" Mitsuki picked the book up and flipped through a few pages. "This… this is how Aniki became a devil? Did someone from the Underworld publish this?"

"No… that's what we want to know. We should wait for the others to get back," Asia said.

"Yeah… this, this is nine kinds of crazy," she said as she flipped through the book.

"What's crazy?" Issei said, groaning as he woke up. He saw Mitsuki, Asia, Eren, and Lily standing in the living room. His twin sister had a light novel in her hand and read it. Her face went through various expressions of shock each time she flipped the page.

"What is it?" Issei asked.

"Umm, don't freak out," Mitsuki said.

"You know whenever you say that I probably should freak out," Issei said, crossing his arms.

"Someone wrote a story about us… not just us. Everyone we've ever met. You. Me. Raynare even. She has an entire chapter devoted to her and her date with you," Mitsuki said, shoving the book into his chest.

Issei looked at his twin sister strangely before grabbing the book and reading it himself. What he read made his eyes bug out of his face. Mastema hovered over his shoulder and her hand flew to her mouth in shock.

**[I don't know if I'm seeing this right but… that looks like your date]** Ddraig said.

**|Date?|** Tiamat asked.

**[Yeah, Issei went on a date with this Fallen Angel and he got stabbed in the stomach] **Ddraig said.

"_Wow, you make it sound so stupid_," Issei snarked.

**(So this is the story of your life huh in written form? I wonder what kind of sick pervert's been stalking you the entire time.)** Mastema said as she floated over to Mitsuki.

"So what kind of sick pervert's been putting our life's story out in literally every bookstore on the planet?" Issei asked, closing the book.

"Well… some guy named Ichiei Ishibumi," Asia said.

"Well, let's go pay this Ishibumi guy a visit and tell him to stop publishing! I mean, this is our privacy being put out there. What if someone from school sees this?" Issei asked.

"They'll probably think it's just a coincidence or that you wrote it or something. Chances are people already know about it or knew of it since the beginning," Mitsuki said.

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" he hissed.

"Hey," Eren said. "Look at this. There's… fanfiction of you guys on the internet," Eren said, showing them his phone. Issei and Mitsuki grabbed the phone from his hands, fighting over it. Asia, deciding that her two older siblings would sooner destroy the house than get the phone, took the phone and began to read. All the while, little Lily sat on the couch playing with snow.

"Hey Eren," Asia said. "What's slash?"

"I don't know," he replied.

"Slash?" Slash is a term used in fandom to denote people of the same sex in a romantic or sexual relationship. Why?" Mitsuki asked.

"There's fanfiction of Nii-san and Gasper, Nii-san and Vali, Nii-san and Kiba-san," Asia said, scrolling down.

"Wait what!?" Issei said. He looked over her shoulder and lo and behold, Issei felt bile traveling up his esophagus and into his throat.

"I think… I think I'm going to be sick," Issei said. "Even if I was gay, me and Vali… really? I can do so much better…"

"What's wrong with Vali?" Mitsuki asked a tad bit offended that her brother insulted the boy she liked. She took the phone from Asia and scrolled down. Her face paled when she saw the other stories.

"What is it?" Eren asked.

"Dear Lucifer in Hell and all the Prime Demons, what the ever living… fudge!?" Mitsuki said, censoring herself due to Lily being in the room.

"What? What is it?" Issei asked.

"There's fanfiction of you and me… together!" she yelled.

"Together? As in together-together or just fluffy sibling bonding?" Issei asked.

"Together together… Oh god, I think I'm going to throw up," she said.

"They do know that we're siblings. Twins even," he said.

"Well, with Fandom, there are normal people and there's… weirdos. Twincest is wincest is apparently okay with some people," Eren said.

"That's not helpful!" the two yelled in sync.

"This… whoever the fuck this is wrote a sex scene between my and my twin sister!" Issei yelled.

The sound of bags dropping alerted them to a presence by the door. Rossweisse and Rias stood there with their groceries all over the floor, having dropped them due to the sheer shock that they felt.

"You and Mitsuki did what!?" Rossweisse said, going up to Issei and grabbing his collar.

"Look! Look at what kind of sick mind writes this!" Issei said, showing her the phone.

Rossweisse sent him a look of confusion and gingerly took the phone. Her face scrunched up in disgust upon reading the pairing.

"That's… disgusting. They know you two are twins right?" she asked.

"Doesn't seem to stop them," Mitsuki said. Her face turned green as she read a rather explicit line of her and her twin doing it in a rather… kinky manner. She ran over to the nearest trash can and promptly began to vomit her breakfast, lunch, and yesterday's dinner.

"So what now? This guy… he knows all of our lives so that means that he knows all the times me and Issei attempted…," Rias said.

"Yeah… I can only imagine how Tatsuya will feel when he reads this," Issei said.

"Yeah," Rias said, glancing off to the side. She couldn't keep this up anymore. The mere mention of his name made Rias feel extremely guilty. She needed to break this off before things got worse.

"I say we find this guy… and kick the ever-living crap out of him!" Mitsuki said, lifting her head from the trash can.

"Mitsuki, we can't just assault a human being," Rossweisse said.

"Sure we can! We do it all the time whenever we fight Arthur and Cao Cao in matches and back then," she said.

"That's different. You're talking about breaking into a middle-aged man's home and beating him to near death," Rias said.

"That's what he gets for publishing our life's story for the entire world to see!" she said.

"First, let's find him," Issei said. "I'll ask Sensei and Az-nee. Maybe they know something."

"I'll go show this to my brother and see if he can help… not that he will be with little Ana taking up most of his time," Rias replied.

"We'll look around the internet and see if we can find anything," Asia said.

"So we all have our assignments," Issei said.

"Wait," Rossweisse interjected. "Why go so far just to find one person? Why don't we go directly to the people who know him?"

The others looked at her in confusion. Rossweisse slapped her forehead in frustration, wondering how these people managed to defeat Rizevim and Trihexa during the Evil Dragon War. Seriously, the answer was right in front of them and so obvious that it might as well have been holding up a neon sign.

"We go to the publishing company. Every publishing company sends one of their own to meet with the author to discuss book sales as well as to listen to the next pitch or volume that the person will add to the series. Meaning that if we can get in touch with the publishing company, we can go ask them where Ichiei Ishibumi is," Rossweisse said.

"Yeah, but how? It's not like the company that publishes his work is just going to hand over his address," Mitsuki said.

"We'll make something up. As for how to contact the company, how about we make our own light novel?" she said.

"Ooh! I want to be in on this!" Rias said, appearing in front of her rook. Rossweisse took a step back as her king looked at her with bright sparkling eyes.

"I've always wanted to make my own series!" Rias said. "It was going to be based on our lives but someone already stole my idea…"

"So we come up with another idea," Issei said.

Vali had dropped by not fifteen minutes later and was filled in on the situation. His reaction was as expected. The instant he heard slash, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen and attempted to commit hara-kiri if not for him and Mitsuki.

Like his sister, Vali had resolved to go beat the author within an inch of his life. Issei had to practically manhandle Vali into staying at home and helping them with their little pet project.

After that, the others had arrived as well. Gasper and Koneko were a bit creeped out, no extremely creeped out that someone published an entire story about their lives. Akeno was more or less indifferent to the whole thing. At least, on the surface level. In her eyes, one could tell the inner turmoil she was going through about having her entire life up for consumer pleasure.

Needless to say, even with all of them working together, coming up with an idea to pitch to a representative was going to be harder than they originally thought. So far, Rias seemed to be the only one who was wholeheartedly enthusiastic about this entire thing. She had gone through three notebooks of ideas in under two hours.

"I think I finally have it," she said, humming in approval as she closed her notebook.

"Okay, pitch," Issei asked.

"We're calling it _I summoned the Black Goat of the Woods and now she wants me to call her Big Sister!_" Rias said.

"Wait… what?" was the collective response.

"You guys will love it I swear! Or… unless one of you has an idea?" she asked, her face morphing into a sly smile. A smile that knew that she had won.

"Fine… but… save it for the publisher," Issei said as he summoned a CC. The circle glowed and pulsated for a few seconds before a voice was heard.

"Hey, Az-nee?" Issei said.

"_What is it? I'm helping my idiot twin deal with a backlog of paperwork,_" Azrael responded.

"_Hey! That's not my fault!_" Azazel's voice could be heard from the other side.

"_Shut up you idiotka!_" she yelled.

"_No you shut up you, walking genocide!_" he yelled back.

"Aniki," Mitsuki said, "Is that what we sound like to other people?"

"No, no, our insults are more creative than theirs," Issei said.

"Though, I would never think to call the Angel of Death a walking genocide," she said.

"_Anyway, what is it?_" Azrael asked.

"We need to get in touch with… Fantasia Bunko? A publisher. Is there any way you can do that?" he asked.

"_Yeah, sure but why exactly?_" Azrael asked.

"We found some books about… us," Mitsuki said.

Azrael went silent.

"Az-nee?"

"_Give me a few seconds…_," she said.

"Sure…," Issei said as the link was suddenly severed.

"That was weird. Does the Archangel of Death usually act like that?" Vali asked.

"Depends on her mood," Mitsuki said.

A circle appeared in front of Issei. He swiped it.

"_Okay, you have one… tomorrow at Akiba. I advise that you… leave this alone though but it's up to you_," she said.

"Wait? Why? Did… did you know about this?" Issei asked.

"_Er… no?_" Azrael replied.

"You did…," Issei said.

"_Well, good luck with your pitch!_" Azrael said before severing the link again.

"Wait… did she know? Who else knows?" Issei asked.

"Probably my brother," Rias said.

"Anyway, let's rest up. We have a meeting tomorrow at Akiba! We're going to be light novel authors!" Issei said.

* * *

**Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, August 10, 2020, 9:45 AM**

* * *

"We really should've brought Rias," Vali said, placing his hand on his chin. The three were in a maid cafe in Akihabara, the agreed meeting spot that Azrael had told them to go to if they wanted to meet with a publisher.

"She needs to sleep. She was up all night remember?" Mitsuki said.

"Well, if you guys remember, she sort of a closet weeb in the human world so if she came here, someone from school might recognize her," Issei said, drumming his fingers against the table. "Good thing I have her notes…"

In front of Issei was a large binder that had been created by Rias over a period of twelve hours.

As they waited, Issei noticed Mitsuki sitting a bit too close to Vali. He chalked it up to his nerves but nearly snapped the table when he saw Mitsuki place her hand over Vali's.

"Okay… what?" Issei asked.

"Huh?" the two turned to look at Issei who was looking at them with a large red aura.

"When did that start?" Issei asked, glancing at their joined hands.

"Umm… can we talk about this later?" Mitsuki asked.

"Oh, you guys are here!"

The three turned to see a beautiful and well-endowed woman with fair skin and a curvaceous figure walk into the cafe. She had brown eyes and straight brown hair reaching down to the front of her shoulders and further behind her back, slightly curling at the tips. Her fringe covered her right eye and a single ahoge arced off the top of her head.

The woman wore a purple dress, with a dark purple long coat over it. She took a seat next to Issei and introduced herself.

"Hello there! You three must be the people that wanted to publish a new light novel. My name's Mikasa Kurokami. I'm a publisher over at Fantasia Bunko," she asked.

"Yeah, I'm Issei, this is my sister, Mitsuki, and that's our friend, Vali," Issei said.

"Nice to meet you three!"

"Right so, we have a few things we wanted to discuss with you today," Issei said, taking the lead once more. "Other than discussing our book which is obviously why we're here… we were wondering if you could get us in touch with one of your authors. We were partially inspired by their work and wanted to get some tips from a professional."

"Really? Which author?" Mikasa asked.

"Um, Ishibumi-sensei," Mitsuki said.

"Sure but for now, tell me what your novel is about," she said.

"Er, well," Mitsuki said. Issei slid the binder to her, causing her to look at him annoyed.

"R- Right, this story is about a middle school boy who is lonely and bullied at school. Everyone ignored him or made his life a living hell. He lives alone in a big house that his parents left to him after they died. To summarize, his life sucked. But then, he found this old tome called… the Kitab Al-Azif and decided to summon something to grant his wish," Mitsuki said.

"That's a rather interesting start," she said, taking a sip of her juice. "Please… continue."

"R- Right, so the boy summons a being from another world to grant his wish. The being is a demon, for lack of better terms. The being asks the boy for his wish but warns him of the dangers of contacting a being such as them. The boy responds with _Please be my big sister!_" Mitsuki said.

"Oh… this is interesting. We haven't published one of those in a while," Mikasa said.

"One of those?" Vali asked.

"A shota protagonist novel," Mikasa said.

"S- Shota!?" Mitsuki said, her face turning red from embarrassment. Was this… was this Rias's secret fetish?

"Yes, a shota protagonist story. So tell me, will this have an appropriate level of ecchi scenes for the fans?" Mikasa asked.

Mitsuki rapidly flipped through the binder and stopped at a certain page that made her face glow red. Issei and Vali peeked over her shoulder and began to snicker. Rias was really pulling out all of the stops with this one. This girl had described in detail ever ecchi scene that was going to be placed in this novel.

"W- Well, there's this one scene w- where the protagonist c- comes back and sees her n- naked and s- she pins him to the bed and the two h- have… off-screen sex," she said, powering through.

"I see, I see. Very well. If you would allow me to take the binder back with me so I can discuss terms with my superior and I can get back to you guys on a later date? Sorry if this seems rushed, it's that I have another appointment in half an hour and we had to squeeze you three in," the publisher said.

"No, no, it's fine. Here," she responded, handing Mikasa the binder.

"So about Ishibumi-sensei," Issei said.

"Of course! What do you want to know about her?" Mikasa said.

The three froze.

"H-Her?" Vali asked tentatively.

"Oh, right, everyone assumes Ishibumi-sensei is a male. No, he is a she. And a foreigner. We never get too many foreigners turning in light novels to us," Mikasa said to them with a smile.

"Do you happen to know by chance where she lives and her contact info so we can get in touch with her?" Mitsuki asked.

"Her address? Well, that I don't know but what I do know is that she lives in Ayr, Scotland, UK. Her contact info is here," Mikasa handed them one of Ishibumi's business cards.

Issei took the card and his eyes widened when he saw who the name was.

"Aniki, are you alright?" Mitsuki asked upon seeing her brother's expression change into one of shock.

Issei handed her the card and she and Vali read over it. "What the…" Vali said in shock.

"Is everything alright?" Mikasa asked.

Mitsuki immediately schooled her features and turned to the woman. "Of course! We're fine. We just thought her name looked familiar," Mitsuki told her.

"Oh, it must be from the news. Poor girl. Her older brother went missing all those months ago. And then they found his body mutilated in a graveyard in America. Makes you wonder what happened to him," Mikasa asked.

The three nodded stiffly.

"Can me and my friends talk for a few seconds?" Issei asked. "In private."

"Of course, this is an important, life-changing choice after all," Mikasa said. "I need to go use the restroom anyway. How about we order food once I get back?"

The three nodded and Mikasa got up and made her way to the restroom.

"What the fuck guys?" Issei said. "It's Lance's younger sister! The one who's sick!"

"Yeah, I can't believe this. How are we supposed to do this!? We killed her brother for God's sake!?" Mitsuki said.

"Okay, calm down you two. I'm sure she's an okay person," Vali said.

"Yeah, I hope," Issei muttered as he saw Mikasa sit back down next to him.

"So, who's ready for lunch?"

* * *

"So did you guys find out?" Kuroka asked, popping a chip in her mouth.

"Yeah, we did. Nancy… her name is Nancy McCarthy," Issei said. "She lives in Ayr, Scotland and several months ago, her brother disappeared and turned up dead in a ruined graveyard outside of Sunrise, Wyoming…"

"That's where we…?" Rias said.

"Yeah, that's where we fought Beelzebub," Issei said.

"So, do we just walk into her house? If she knows this much about our lives, then she knows that we were the ones who killed her brother right?" Rossweisse asked.

"I killed her brother," Issei said. "If anyone will take responsibility in front of her, I will. Not you guys."

"So how do we even get there?" Rias asked.

"Get to where? Where are we going?"

The entire room jumped at the sound of Risa's voice. She sat on the couch in her gear, eating some ice cream.

"Jeez! Have some more tact! Don't just pop up in the living room!" Issei said.

"So what's going on?" Risa asked.

"This," Issei said, handing her the novel.

Risa's eyes widened.

"And I thought we got rid of every copy in Kuoh," Risa muttered. She sighed and looked up at them.

"Look, just please… drop this," Risa said.

"No, not until we figure out how this person knows what we do, what our favorite pastry is, and how the hell we live our lives!" Mitsuki said.

"Look, Risa-san. This person knows too much and she might leak out some secrets that we don't want getting out to the public like top-secret battle plans against the Ha-Satan or something," Rias said.

"I mean, you have a fair point but still," the Tanuki Angel said.

"Then it's settled! Can you teleport us to Scotland?" Issei asked.

"Er…," she looked down at her ward, not wanting to comply with his demand.

"Please," Asia asked, pulling her puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh… fine," Risa said, giving in. That girl was really unfair. She was lucky she was cute. Otherwise, Risa would have refused her outright.

They started cheering in victory until Risa spoke once more.

"The only thing is that I can only take three of you. Having all of you go might scare her and we don't need her… losing control," Risa said, muttering the last part.

"Losing what?"

"Nothing, so who's going?"

They discussed amongst themselves.

"I think that Issei, Mitsuki, and Vali should go. They're the ones who pitched my idea so… they're the ones Nancy will be expecting," Rias said.

"Hmm, I guess we can go," Issei said.

"Very well. Just remember… don't do anything that might piss her off or scare her otherwise… the entirety of Northern Europe will be plunged into the ice-cold depths of the Baltic Sea," Risa said.

"Wait what?" Vali looked at the Angel with some concern only to see Risa with a cheerful smile on her face.

"Well! Off we go!" Risa said, placing her hands and tail on them and disappearing in the sound of wingbeats.

* * *

**Ayr, Scotland**

* * *

"Jeez, can't I get a break? New authors that want me to mentor them seriously," Nancy said as she placed her phone back on her desk. She fell on her bed and looked up at her ceiling.

"Ugh, and I'm out of pills," she said, looking at her medicine.

"Alright, no moping around… I need to get this new chapter finished and then the rest of the current volume," she said, stretching. As she walked over to her desk, the doorbell rang downstairs. She raised an eyebrow.

_Who is that? My doctor? I'm not scheduled for another visit until Friday_, she thought as she walked down the stairs. Nancy bound across the hallway and placed her hand on the door handle. When she opened it, she saw three people standing outside the doorway.

"Hello, are you Nancy McCarthy?" Issei asked upon seeing a blonde girl open the door. She nodded.

"Y- Yes… who are you three?" she said, tilting her head.

"Well, don't freak out," Mitsuki said.

"Sure?"

"I'm Mitsuki, this is my twin brother, Issei, and that's Vali Lucifer. We're the people you've been writing about," Mitsuki said.

Nancy looked at the three like they had gone insane. Seriously, who walks up to someone's house and says that to them? She concluded that these people had something seriously wrong with their mental states or were on every combination of drugs on the planet. She smiled and closed the door in their faces.

_What the hell!? _

The doorbell rang again and Nancy opened the door.

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do. I really do and it's always nice to hear from my fans but… for your own good, please go get another life," she said before trying to close the door again.

Issei blocked her, putting his hand on the door, preventing her from closing it.

"Look, let's make this easy for everyone here. You see, you've been using our life to write your books," Issei said, forcing his way inside. Nancy's eyes widened with fear as she backed away into her living room. She tripped and fell on her couch as Issei, Mitsuki, and Vali surrounded her in her living room.

"Look, I don't know what you want but this isn't funny okay! The money's in the drawer over there and I have a piggy bank in my room-!"

"We don't want your money. We want to know how you know," Vali said.

"How I know what?" she asked.

"Are you a Devil?" Mitsuki asked.

"What? No, I'm a teenage girl!" she said.

"Then how do you know so much about our lives? About the secrets of our movements during the Evil Dragon War?" Issei asked.

"What? Are you on drugs? Issei Hyoudou is a fictional character. So is Mitsuki Hyoudou and Vali Lucifer! I made them up!" she argued.

Issei sighed.

**[Show her the Boosted Gear]** Ddraig said.

He nodded internally and raised his left arm. Nancy looked at him, wondering what he was going to do next.

Her eyes widened when a red gauntlet manifested on his left arm. She knew that gauntlet. She had spent hours drawing it and writing its description every time it changed form and evolved. But her mind couldn't believe it. This can't be real. It couldn't be real.

"U- Um… I think I forgot to take my medicine," she said.

"You're not going crazy," Vali said, following Issei's lead and summoning the **{Divine Dividing}**.

"Oh my God, that's… wait, so oh god, if you're real then that means that," she said, pointing her finger shakily at them.

"Yup," Mitsuki said, summoning her wings.

"I… need to cope," Nancy said. "Oh my god…"

Nancy sat on her couch, staring at the floor before the realization hit her.

"Oh my God… I killed him didn't I?" she muttered.

The three looked at each other.

"Who did you kill?" Issei asked.

"My brother… I wrote his death and it came true. That means that… that means that-!"

"It's not your fault," Issei said.

"But… then how! I wrote that down and it came true! This is my fault! I killed all those people! I killed my brother! Dear God, I made you and your friends suffer, and for what? For the enjoyment of other people!? Money!?" she screamed hysterically.

"Guys," Vali said, glancing out the window. It was raining. In the middle of a sunny day in Scotland. Lightning crashed outside of the house as winds began to pick up to gale like conditions, numbering in the double digits. The very sound of it slamming against the house alongside the rain was deafening.

"Oh crap," Issei said.

The sound of wingbeats filled the room, causing Issei to turn and see Risa alongside a man with black hair and green eyes. If he remembered correctly, this man was the Archangel Raphael.

Raphael walked over to the screaming Nancy and placed his hand on her shoulder, sending soothing waves through her. Nancy's hysterics eventually subsided and the storm along with it.

"Nancy," Raphael said.

The poor girl turned to see Raphael and her eyes widened.

"Doctor Raph?" Nancy asked.

"Nancy, it's okay just calm down," he said.

"Risa, Raphael-sama, what are you guys doing here?" Mitsuki asked.

"We're here because I was afraid that this would happen," Raphael said, sending an annoyed glance at his Queen. Risa's ears and tail perked up before looking away in embarrassment.

"Lord Raphael, what is she?" Vali asked.

"It seems that we couldn't keep this a secret forever… this was bound to get out," Raphael said. He glanced at Nancy, who had calmed down considerably.

"This girl is a prophet," Raphael said.

"Prophets are extinct. Ever since the Biblical god died, there hasn't been a Prophet seen anywhere in centuries," Vali said.

"Normally you would be right until… little Nancy here was born," he said.

"Have you been treating her hemophilia?" Issei asked.

"How do you know about that? Knowledge about the Prophet is top secret," Risa said.

"Her brother told me," he replied.

"Hmm, I've actually gotten rid of it after she awakened as the Prophet but I needed an excuse to keep visiting the family so I falsified her condition," he said, feeling ashamed.

"Wait… the whole reason Lance killed all those people was to heal Nancy! You're telling me that she was well the whole time!" Issei yelled.

"Yes, and it was a grave sin that I committed and for that, I am deeply sorry…," Raphael said.

"It's alright," she said. "This was all my fault… if I hadn't made that prophecy or whatever, my brother would still be here and be alive."

"Stop blaming yourself," Issei said.

"So what now?" Nancy asked, changing the subject.

"Now? We move forward. Issei-san, can we trust you to keep her safe?" Raphael asked.

"Yeah," Issei said. "I would've done it anyway. I made a promise…"

* * *

Irina finished burying the lockbox filled with her ID, a bone of a black cat, milk from a black cow, and a vial with a lock of Issei's hair. All the ingredients that Dantalion had told her to get. To get a contract demon, or Faustian Demon, as they were properly called, one had to bury their lockbox in a crossroads with their ID, the bone of a black cat, milk from a black cow, and if they wanted a specific one, genetic material from someone who had summoned the demon before.

From the side, Rikka and Bova watched carefully, fully prepared to move in case something happened to their friend.

A strong gust blew through the entire area. For others, it might have felt normal but it was August and the middle of summer. A chill breeze like this was extremely uncommon. However, Irina knew that this breeze was anything but normal. It carried malice and greed inside of it. The feeling made her sick to her soul. How could someone be so rotten?

"Oh, an Angel. Never had one of you before," a female voice caused Irina to turn around.

A woman with brown hair and red eyes wearing a black dress appeared in the crossroads.

"So, what's today's deal gonna be?" she asked. Irina summoned Hauteclere and pointed it at the demon.

"Oh, so it's going to be like that, is it? Guess I'm leaving then," she said. The demon tried to teleport out but found that she couldn't. She looked down and saw Enochian Runes drawn in a circle around her into the concrete.

"Tch! What do you want?" she asked, turning back to Irina.

"You're the devil who made the deal with Issei Hyoudou, correct?" Irina asked. The demon nodded with pride.

"Yup! Never thought I'd get such a high profile soul," she said. "Boosted my reputation in Hell!"

"Break it off. Issei's deal. And no funny business. I'm the one pulling the strings here. Mitsuki lives. Issei lives. You live," Irina said, walking up to her. Hauteclere glinted menacingly in the dim street light, causing beads of sweat to appear on the demon's forehead.

"Sorry Feathers but we have a strict no return policy," the demon said, fighting through the fear she was currently feeling.

"Then take mine," Irina immediately answered, offering her own.

"Nope. His deal is locked down tighter than a nun's… well, you get the picture," she smirked.

Irina snapped and slashed her in the torso with Hauteclere.

"GAAAAHHHHH!" the woman screamed in unimaginable agony as her wound began to burn and she felt her soul being cut into, causing the wound to flicker an orange color.

"I dipped Hauteclere in Holy Water. I was told this would be an effective method in getting answers," Irina said as she raised Hauteclere and swung it. This time, she severed the demon's right hand.

Rikka and Bova grimaced. Despite not having known Irina for long, they were familiar with her kind and bubbly personality. Seeing her torture someone, this was not normal. It was a bit terrifying.

The devil squirmed in agony as she screamed her lungs out. Irina continued her grisly work and stabbed it through her leg and began to twist the blade. Her wings began to flicker indicating she was about to fall.

"PLEASE STOP!"

Irina pulled Hauteclere out of the demon's leg just seconds before she could completely fall. Irina's wings reverted to their snow-white color.

"I- I can't break the deal. I was just following orders! I swear on my life!" the female devil said, confessing everything to Irina.

Irina leveled Hauteclere at the demon's throat. "_WHO TOLD YOU TO MAKE THE DEAL!?_" Irina snarled.

"OUR LEADER! OUR LEADER DOES!" the demon yelped.

"Who's your leader?" Irina asked, stabbing a light dagger into her leg. The devil screamed in pain and agony.

"I DON'T KNOW! I SWEAR! I ONLY MET HER ONCE! PLEASE LET ME GO!" she screamed.

"A name, give me a name!" she roared. Rikka walked over and pulled Irina back.

"Calm down before you fall," she hissed. Irina nodded and composed herself, checking her wings. Still white.

"Ha-...," the wounded devil rasped.

"Ha?" Bova asked.

"She… she's called Ha-Satan, that's all I know," the devil said.

The three looked at each other before Irina glanced back at her.

"Alright then," Irina said.

"I told you. Now, let me go," the demon said.

Irina complied and slashed one of the rune's destabilizing the circle.

"Pleasure," the Faustian Devil said as she turned around. Her eyes widened when she felt the most intense pain. She looked down and saw Hauteclere sticking out of her chest. Her entire body spasmed as she glowed with flickering orange light. The demon fell limp on Irina's blade. Irina pulled the blade out and sat down on the pavement.

"Damnit," she said as tears began to stream down her face. Rikka and Bova glanced at each other before kneeling before next to her.

* * *

**Alright, that's it for the chapter. Please leave a review and I'll see you guys next chapter!**


	36. Black Dragons

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Hyoudou Manor, August 11, 2020, 6:35 PM, Current Time: 2 Minutes and 45 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Irina gently opened the door to the house and walked into the living room. She was exhausted, physically, emotionally, and mentally. She had failed to get anything substantial from the devil that she interrogated.

Rikka and Bova followed her with worried expressions on their faces. Irina was the last person that either of them thought they would see torture. Her angel blood should've made it impossible. It was a miracle that she didn't fall.

"Irina, are you alright?" Rikka asked.

Irina didn't say anything. She slammed her fist into the table, snapping it in half with her angelic strength. Her teeth were clenched together as tears streamed down her face.

"What am I supposed to do now Rikka? We have no leads on who this Ha-Satan person is! How the hell are we supposed to save Issei from his deal?" Irina asked.

"I don't know but I do know that being angry about it won't help. You need to calm down. Dantalion told us that there was another way to break it and that was for Issei to survive. Currently, that's our best option. If Issei makes it past midnight on the day of his collection, the contract magic binding his soul will be broken due to the condition being unfulfilled," she explained.

"I don't want it to come to that… I want to make sure that we never have to fight for Issei's survival," Irina said.

"But what are we supposed to do? Summon another Devil?" Bova asked.

"Why do you guys want to summon a devil, nya?"

The three turned to see Kuroka walking into the room with an apple in her hand.

"Nothing… just… wanted to see if Devils would make contracts with Angels is all," Irina said.

"I know what you're doing," Kuroka said, sitting next to Irina. "Issei told me about his condition…"

Irina's eyes widened. Issei told her? She looked down at the table. Issei had willingly told Kuroka but she had to find out from Beelzebub. Did he not trust her as much as Kuroka?

"So all Issei has to do is survive that day? The day when the devils come to collect his soul?" Kuroka asked as she grabbed the remote. She switched on the TV.

"_This just in! The company, SEED Corporation, has just announced that it has begun to perform charity work in the Middle East to help those that have been afflicted by the ongoing conflicts! The CEO has yet to make an appearance but…_" the newscaster said.

"SEED Corp. Those guys have been popping up more than usual," Rikka said.

"Yeah," Irina said, answering both questions.

"Hey, guys! We're back!" the door opened to reveal Issei, Vali, and Mitsuki walking in with a book in hand. Issei spotted Irina and waved to her. Irina waved back, albeit hesitantly. Her eyes were distant, something that Issei noticed. Did he do something to upset her or something?

**[I don't know… did you?]** Ddraig said.

**|Seriously, hatchling. You need to have more tact.|** Tiamat said.

"_What? Did I do something wrong?"_ Issei asked.

**|Oh, Issei…|** Tiamat said.

* * *

**Hekhalot, Araboth, Heaven**

* * *

He ignored them and sat in between Irina and Kuroka, the latter of which, hugged Issei's arm and leaned into him. He glanced at Irina, who sat with her head on her hand and a distant look on her face as she stared mindlessly into the TV screen.

"Brother," Raphael appeared in the Seventh Heaven to see Michael standing at the foot of God's Throne. The seat of Heaven's Power and the center of the System.

"Raphael? What is it?" Michael asked, turning around.

"They've discovered the Prophet," he said.

"I figured that this would happen sooner or later," Michael said.

"What should we do? The other pantheons will get wind of this soon and her existence may be revealed to the enemy as a result," his brother said.

"What does it matter if the other pantheons know of her existence at this point?" Michael said.

"Brother, we've always upheld the tradition of keeping the Prophet's identity a secret until after their death where their writings are made public to the people. It's the only reason that the other Gods know that our pantheon has a Prophet," Raphael said.

"Raphael. I admire your want to uphold the olden ways but we can't do that if we want to survive. We will need the help of the Devils and the other Pantheons if we want to survive," he said.

"Has the Sixth Trumpet been sounded yet?" Raphael asked.

"No, but I fear that it may be soon," Michael replied.

"Hyoudou?"

"Yes."

A moment of silence between the two passed before Raphael spoke up.

"I'll keep an eye on Nancy for now. Let me know if anything comes up," Raphael said.

Michael nodded as Raphael disappeared from Araboth.

* * *

"So what's on today's agenda?" Issei asked, getting his sleep out. Rikka and Irina sat at the table looking at Issei with a cup of coffee before them.

"What?" Issei asked, unnerved by their stares.

"Issei, you told Kuroka?" Irina asked.

"Well, yeah," Issei said.

"...," Irina went silent with his answer.

"What? Is that wrong? Should I not tell her?" Issei argued.

"Issei… it's not that. I just feel… I don't know… hurt! Issei, I had to find out from Beelzebub that you sold your soul yet you trust Kuroka enough to tell her that you're damned to go to Hell in one year? So what? You don't trust me is that it?" Irina asked.

"What? Don't turn this into something else! It was a heat of the moment thing and I felt that she would be able to understand my circumstan-!"

"Understand? So what? Rossweisse and I are incapable of understanding your problems, is that it?"

"What? No! Don't drag Rossweisse into this!"

"I will drag Rossweisse into this because she deserves to know just as much as I and Kuroka do!"

"Now, you listen here! The whole reason that I wanted to keep this whole thing down and not tell anyone was that-!"

A magic circle appeared in front of Issei. He sighed and glared at Irina.

"We will finish this later," Issei said.

Irina glared at him before huffing and leaving the room. Rikka looked between the two in worry before following after her friend.

Issei swiped the circle, answering the call.

"_Issei?"_

"Az-nee?" Issei answered.

"_Yeah, it's me. Hey, listen. Sirzechs says that he wants you and Rias's peerage down here in the Underworld in an hour. Something about a big meeting that DxD needs to be a part of and I was put in charge of contacting you and Rias,_" Azrael said.

"Did Buchou already get the message?" Issei asked.

"_Yes, I contacted her about five minutes ago,_" Azrael said.

"I'll go tell the others and arrange for someone to look after Lily," Issei said.

"_No need to worry. Grayfia thought you might say this and volunteered to drop Lily and Millicas off at the Gremory Mansion so that Venelana can look after them_," she said.

"Is it really okay for Venelana-sama to look after Lily? I don't want to be a burden. I can just hire a regular sitter," Issei said.

"_Nonsense. Venelana said that she wanted to meet Lily anyway_," she responded.

"Alright. We'll be there in about an hour, Az-nee, so save some seats for us," Issei said.

"_Alright, you cheeky brat."_

Issei smiled as he cut the call.

**[What do you think the meeting's about?]** Ddraig asked.

"I don't know but I don't think that anything good will come of this. We've been getting a lot of bad news as of late. Finding out that Nancy exists and that she's a Prophet might be the best news we've gotten all year," Issei said.

* * *

Irina stepped out onto the balcony of the third floor of the house. She needed this. She just needed to get away. The feelings of pain in her heart just kept getting worse the longer she was around Issei. She curled up into a ball as tears slowly streamed down her face.

"Irina?"

She looked up and saw Rossweisse standing at the door. Her attire made Irina smile a little. For a Valkyrie who prided herself in being strict and formal, her choice of clothing was rather lazy. Rossweisse walked onto the balcony with a can of beer in her hand and leaned on the railing.

"What's wrong? You look like… you just saw someone die," Rossweisse said.

"Do I really look that bad right now?" Irina asked.

She nodded, causing the Angel to look down.

"Hey Rossweisse, if I told you that Issei had less than a year to live, how would you react?" Irina asked.

"I would be depressed of course. Issei means everything to me. He's the only one who saw me for more than just Odin's personal maid," Rossweisse said.

"...," Irina remained silent. Should she tell Rossweisse? She shook her head. She needed to know. Rossweisse loved Issei just as much as she did and Kuroka did.

"Hey, Rossweisse. I have something to tell you. It's about… Issei," Irina said.

"He's going to die in less than a year because of the Faustian Bargain that he made," the valkyrie said, stealing the words from her mouth.

"H- How did you?" Irina stuttered.

She couldn't help but feel shocked and surprised. Hell, surprise was the only emotion she was feeling at the moment. Irina's eyes locked onto Rossweisse's misery filled turquoise orbs as the Valkyrie smiled sadly before her. Rossweisse downed the rest of her beer can and tossed it over the edge.

"I know about it. We all do. Rias-sama, Akeno, everyone in the peerage does," she confessed.

"B- But how? We never told anyone about that. Only me, Issei, and a few other people know about that," Irina said.

"We followed you after the big fight. It sounded serious so Rias-sama suggested that we tailed you guys and it looks like she was right," Rossweisse said. "So why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did Issei sell his soul?"

"You know why…"

"..."

"What an idiot…," Irina said.

"A self-sacrificing idiot," Rossweisse added.

"Don't worry," Irina said.

Rossweisse gave her a confused look, entering her version of Ophis's "?" mode.

"I will get Issei out of this before that day comes," Irina said.

"You won't have to do this alone. We'll help you. We all will," Rossweisse said.

* * *

**Ars Nova, Gehenna, Hell**

* * *

Issei glanced at Irina as she walked silently next to him. Everyone around them had given them a wide birth, noticing the tension between the two. Even Kuroka and Rossweisse, Issei's other girlfriends, distanced themselves and felt that they shouldn't get involved with the problem that was clearly between the two of them.

"Ah, it's good to see you guys again."

A familiar voice from the side caused Issei and the others to glance over to see the familiar auburn hair of a certain silver-eyed goddess. Artemis gave Issei a warm smile as she jogged over to them.

"Artemis-sama," Issei said, bowing politely. The others followed suit, paying reverence to the Goddess of the Moon.

"No need to bow," Artemis said. Issei lifted his head.

Artemis smiled as she extended her hand. Issei looked down at it, slightly confused.

"You haven't heard?" she asked.

"Heard what?"

"Issei, Artemis-sama is the Greco-Roman Pantheon's representative within DxD," Irina whispered. Issei's eyes widened as he firmly grabbed her hand and shook it.

"It'll be an honor to be working with you from here on out, Artemis-sama," Issei said.

"Likewise. I must admit, I never thought I'd be able to work with the Red Dragon Emperor again. I hope our partnership will be far better than it was the first time," she said.

"Ehehe," Issei laughed a little as a trickle of sweat trickled down his forehead. He remembered Artemis from the first time they had worked together. This woman was terrifying yet she was surprisingly kind. Not that it mattered. Issei was still somewhat terrified of her. She did have a reputation for her intense hatred of perverts that bordered on the near murderous. So long as he curbed his perversion around her, he should be fine.

"So what do you think the meeting is about, Artemis-sama?" Rias asked as they walked towards the massive doors of the Council Room.

"Probably the allocation of funds towards building an actual building. Having to meet within the Abrahamic Hell every time is kind of tiring and gives off the impression that the Abrahamic Pantheon is the one running the council. Though, we would have the building done if some pantheons would just allow some of their craftsman deities to help in the construction of stabilization runes..., or what did Heph say again?" Artemis mumbled that last part.

"Well, I'm sure that we can convince the other pantheons to join in on this project. So far we only have Ajuka-sama, Hephaestus-sama, Vishwakarman-sama, Athena-sama, and Ptah-sama have all contributed to the project," Rias said.

"I hope so," Artemis said as she pushed the doors open.

Upon entering, the group noticed that the council room was already in chaos. The sounds of various pantheon leaders yelling at each other grated against their brains as the group made their way to the public galleries of the council room. They found empty seats and sat down.

Artemis bit her finger as she looked down at her Pantheon's booth. Her father and older sister, Aphrodite, were arguing while Athena took notes and offered her own inputs. She sighed. Arguing was going to get them nowhere.

"As I was saying, we have reason to believe that these Demons might be targeting our pantheon!" Zeus said, slamming his fist onto the table.

"And I said, that we cannot deploy DxD to Greece without just cause. This is all purely based on speculation and you have presented no proof that there is demonic activity within Greece," Rudianos calmly retorted.

"Not necessarily true," Athena said, flicking her hair out of the way. "There have been demonic energy signatures that have gathered near Mount Etna and further analysis shows that they don't belong to any clan."

"I tell you. Whatever it is, they want Typhon," Zeus said.

"Excuse me but didn't Typhon participate in the Azazel Cup," Ajuka said.

"Yes, but he did on the condition that he won the Azazel Cup. After he lost to Indra, father decided to reimprison him under the mountain," Aphrodite said.

"I believe that Zeus's pantheon isn't the only one to have rogue Devils running around their territory," a voice in the back said.

The other gods went silent and turned around. A man stood up. The other gods, including Zeus, were cowed into silence. The man ran his hand through his black hair as he walked down the aisle. His figure was muscular, possessing Adonis-like qualities. He wore a white robe, similar to that of a monk's habit. His golden eyes looked out upon the entire crowd with mild disgust.

"Oh and what makes you say this, Baal Hadad," Odin asked, stroking his beard.

"We too have detected signs of demonic energy within our region of the world, particularly around Mount Sinai," he said.

"So we have two signs as of now, corroborated by Hadad," Zeus said. "Are you still going to stand by and say no while the demons that worked underneath the original Beelzebub are moving about?"

"That does pose an interesting question," Parvati said.

"Hmm? And why does it pose an interesting question, Lady Parvati?" Hadad asked.

"If anything, aren't they justified in what they are doing? After all, your Pantheon is famous for its grudge against Yahweh and his children," Parvati said.

"Whatever grudges we may have, we are willing to place aside to work with… filth against filth," Hadad said, glancing at the Prime Demons present at the meeting. Asmodeus bristled and was about to speak but went silent when Mammon placed her hand on her older sister's shoulder. She huffed and chose to glare at the Old God instead.

"Gods, Angels, Devils, why are we still arguing over this?" Hadad said. "We know that we can overpower these usurper Devils and reinstall the peace that we all fought hard for! The peace that we obtained after the defeat of the Beast of Armageddon, Trihexa! Why must we let these… these demons have their way with us? What's holding us back from mobilizing DxD to hunt them down and eliminate them?"

"I mean, he has a point," Issei said. The others nodded.

Down on the council floor, the other deities muttered amongst themselves, a majority of them agreeing with what the God had said. Rudianos glanced around the room and sighed. He needed to regain control of the flow of the meeting.

"Baal Hadad. The reason we have not deployed DxD to 'exterminated' these demons as you put it is because we lack intelligence. A few sightings in a location is enough to warrant sending out our strongest forces just to get rid of a few rats. Your pantheon is proclaimed to be the strongest pantheon of the near east due to big players such as your brother, Yam, the God of Chaos, and your parents El and Athirat. Are you going to allow a few rogues from Yahweh's pantheon to make a mockery of your pantheon?" Rudianos said.

Everyone's eyes widened when a javelin comprised of pure flames embedded itself next to Rudianos's head. Hadad's eyes were glowing a violent shade of orange as his aura engulfed the entire room.

"Do not mock my pantheon. These demons are not to be underestimated. The original Leviathan and Mammon stormed my Pantheon's doors during the Great War and slaughtered many deities in their warpath," Hadad said.

"Do not mistake that slaughter as something senseless," Mammon said, the hatred in her voice present. Her yellow eyes glowed as she locked eyes with the God of Heaven. "You took one of our own and we repaid the favor."

"Hmph, well, your own maybe what these demons are after. Are many of you aware of what is located on Mount Sinai?" Hadad asked.

Mammon, Asmodeus, and Belphegor remained silent. That location was off-limits as per agreement between their Grandfather and the Supreme God of the Canaanite Pantheon, El.

"What? The actual Ten Commandments?" Indra asked jokingly.

Hadad looked at the Hindu God with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. These fools. Mount Etna and Mount Sinai were the locations of some of the most powerful beings to ever exist in this world. Typhon was a monster capable of combating the Olympian Gods but the monster located on Mount Sinai, she was equally as terrifying if not more due to her unbridled cruelty towards those who earn her ire.

"_Ddraig? Tiamat? What's so important about Mount Sinai?"_ Issei asked.

**[Mount Sinai… Mount Sinai? Other than the Ten Commandments of the Abrahamic Faiths, I don't quite remember]** Ddraig said.

**|Neither do I.|** Tiamat said.

Issei nodded and turned his attention back to the meeting.

"Laugh all you want you arrogant twat but there is a Black Dragon buried on that mountain," Hadad said.

The room went silent. Everyone's eyes went wide with terror upon hearing those two words.

Black Dragon.

Black Dragons weren't regular dragons. They were Evil Dragons of extreme power. These dragons were capable of killing Gods and Satans alike and were considered to be the ultimate power of Dragonkind alongside the Heavenly Dragons. They were regarded as walking cataclysms, always altering the land wherever they went and causing disaster wherever they chose to stay. They are stated to be so vile that the title of Evil Dragon would never be able to describe them in full and thus, the title of Black Dragon was born. In total, there existed three Black Dragons in the world and all three were incapacitated. To this day, many of the weaker and younger deities vehemently deny their existence as a way to comfort themselves. A blissful delusion that they believe would make true monsters go away.

"You're lying," Indra said. "I know it's hard to know that a bunch of Devils and Angels beat your pantheon in the race for followers but seriously, a Black Dragon?"

"Which Black Dragon is it?" Shiva asked.

"You're seriously not believing this are you?" Indra asked.

"Lotan."

Upon hearing the name, a collective shiver went down all of their spines, even the younger Devils. Ddraig and Tiamat stiffened inside the Sacred Gear, their fear being known by Issei. Next to him, Artemis held terror unlike Issei had ever seen before in her eyes.

"Artemis-sama? Who is Lotan?" Rias asked.

"Lotan is my ancestor," Ingvild said, speaking up for the first time since they arrived.

"Ancestor? I thought your ancestor was the Original Leviathan?" Akeno said.

"Having a family is a co-op game, not a single-player one. The Original Leviathan and the Coiling Black Dragon, Lotan. Together, they birthed a race of Devils capable of controlling the Deep while inheriting the prowess of a Dragon. Her presence within our pantheon is due to her being abandoned by the Chaos God, Yam, after his defeat at the hands of Ba'al Hadad after El decided to retire. She was adopted by the Archangel Lucifer afterward. She's known as the Second Leviathan that is stated in Jewish Midrash," Ingvild said.

**[Not just that]** Ddraig said, making himself known. **[Lotan is as powerful as Albion and I in our primes. She is, as Ingvild said, the Coiling Black Dragon. The Dragon of Chaos from Ugaritic Myth. She is the daughter of the God of Chaos, Yam.]**

"Lotan is dead," Indra said.

"Not for long," Asmodeus said. "They're going to resurrect her."

"So they're going after Lotan and Typhon then?" Athena said.

"They're building an army and gathering all the strongest players. Players that hate the Gods," Shiva said. "We can no longer standby and do nothing."

"I agree," Ra said. "If they are planning to go after a Black Dragon, then we have no choice but to move."

"How are we supposed to counteract that? Their movements are too subtle to be detected and not to mention that we still have to locate the one responsible for the devastation within Southeast Asia," Freya said.

"There are ways we can prevent the rise of the Coiling Black Dragon. First off, we need to deploy a portion of DxD down to the Middle East to guard the tomb of Lotan," Ajuka said. "If the demons are after her, then we have to prevent them from reaching her tomb at all costs."

"Next is Typhon but… I have some doubts," Hadad said.

"What kind of doubts?" Aphrodite asked.

"Typhon would never work with Devils," he said.

"Typhon would sooner work with Devils rather than work with the Greek Gods," Sirzechs said. "Or did everyone forget what Zeus and the other Olympians did to his pregnant wife…"

"So what now?" Zeus asked.

"Now," Shiva said, finally speaking up. His eyes looked grim, indicating how dire the situation was at the moment. "If whatever is left of Beelzebub's faction is mobilizing to gather in the most dangerous beings across the world, then we need to send forces to those locations. I propose that we split DxD in half and focus on what's before us at the moment. Some of our forces will head to Mount Etna to guard Typhon while the others… will head to Mount Sinai to guard the corpse of the Coiling Black Dragon, Lotan. This should cover what we already know."

The other gods nodded in agreement and Hadad and Zeus sent Shiva looks of appreciation. The God of Destruction waved them off, sending them a smile instead.

"Alright. I believe that that is all for now. Before we adjourn this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that our Forge Gods are working hard so if any pantheon can send any deity or being that is related or good at building things, it would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, we have to keep meeting in the Abrahamic Hell," Parvati said.

"Hmmm, I guess I can get Svadilfari to help build it. Though, I may need a different incentive this time," Odin said, sipping coffee.

"Is that all?" Rudianos asked, his frustration barely being contained.

"Yes, that will be all," Ajuka said.

Upon hearing those words, the Gaulish War God vanished in a burst of red light, followed by several other deities leaving as well. Hadad glanced at the Abrahamic Pantheon, particularly at the Prime Demons with some level of disgust before disappearing in a bolt of orange lightning.

"The nerve of that guy," Serafall said.

"Don't mind him," Gabriel said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "His pantheon was an old rival of our pantheon back in the day."

"Which back in the day, the back in the day where our pantheon was just a part of the Court of El or the day grandfather finally had the sense to split after Hadad went too far," Mammon said.

"Mammon, calm down. We can't afford any disunity at this point. Even if we don't like it, we have to work with Hadad's pantheon," Asmodeus said.

"Yeah, and I don't like it. I'm an advocate for peace but… Hadad always gave me the creeps. It was so much better when El and Athirat were running things," Azazel said.

The younger devils looked at their predecessors and fellow leaders with some level of confusion as if they were being left in the dark.

"Whatever, do you need us or can you meet with DxD by yourselves?" Michael said.

"We can do it. You guys can go," Sirzechs said.

"We'll be in touch and be careful. Our enemy is not to be underestimated," the Golden Archangel replied as he and his siblings vanished. Azazel stood from his chair and patted Sirzechs on the shoulder.

"I'll see you later, Sirzechs," Azazel said before vanishing.

"We'll head back home too," Mammon said. "I'll leave everything to you, my student."

"Of course Teacher," Sirzechs said.

Mammon smiled and vanished alongside Belphegor and Asmodeus.

"I think that's our cue," Artemis said, getting up from her seat. Eden Squad and Gremory Peerage all exchanged glances before following after the Moon Goddess. They entered the room where the Four Maou waited for them to arrive. Upon entering, Sirzechs gave them a serious look which meant that their current situation was not a good one.

"Lady Artemis, it is good that you're here," Sirzechs said. "And I'm glad you guys were the first ones here."

"Where's Vali Team?" Mitsuki asked.

"Vali Team has been assigned by Azazel to check on Ophis in the Dimensional Gap to make sure that our new enemy isn't going after her," he said.

"Ah," she replied.

"Let's get to the point since time is of the essence here. As you may know, since the Hong Kong Tragedy, we have been running around like a bunch of headless chickens trying to make heads or tails of where they are. No solid intel has come in from the field nor from any of the Peerage Kings that are on Earth nor from Dulio and Wukong," Ajuka said. "This meeting is our first time receiving any form of intel on actual activity from them so we will act on it. Unlike what was said at the meeting, we will send out a small task force to each location."

"Alright, so who goes where?" Rias asked.

"Rias, we've decided that you and Issei's team head down to Mount Sinai to guard the Tomb of Lotan. Lady Artemis, I believe that you are headed to Mount Etna to bolster the defense around Typhon's prison?" Sirzechs asked.

"Yes, though if I may, my brothers, Ares and Apollo, are being deployed by our father as per his and Athena's decision so Typhon's prison is already well defended. I believe that my talents would be most useful with Team Gremory and Eden Squad," Artemis said.

"Very well," Sirzechs said.

"When do we leave?" Issei asked.

"We'll give you a few hours to prepare then you are to leave for Mount Sinai," Ajuka said.

"A few hours. That'll get us enough time to get to base and back," Rikka whispered to Issei. Issei looked over to his teammates, who all had the same look as his captain did. He nodded to Rikka.

"Alright, you guys are dismissed," Sirzechs said.

* * *

**Japanese Blacklight Base, Kegon Falls, Nikko, Japan**

* * *

"Black Dragons huh?" Taki said, rubbing his chin in thought. Next to him were the holograms of three other leaders from Blacklight. Issei recognized Atalanta and Cornelius, however, the third figure's identity eluded him.

She caught him staring a little and waved.

"What do you think Sheba? Does the intel fit?" Cornelius asked.

"Unfortunately, it does," Sheba said. "Several of our operatives here have had encounters with them already, though we've kept it at a down low to prevent people from getting too suspicious. As far as the world knows, only what's left of Beelzebub's forces are there. There's also something else. In order to maintain their cover, we've discovered that they're using vehicular and aerial transportation to and from the mountain and you'll never guess who it is that's helping them."

"Who?" Atalanta asked.

"Seed Corporation," Sheba said. "Their logo is on every uniform that their personnel wears."

"So wait… why would a global conglomerate be working with devils?" Ingvild asked.

"It's quite common and there is a precedent for it. The Rockefellers, Ford, the Medicis," Sheba said. "Most successful businesses have had some supernatural input in it at one point whether they know this or not."

"Great. Just great," Mitsuki said.

"What? What's wrong?" Issei asked.

"Issei, Seed Corporation has an influence in practically every major company in the world. Microsoft, Apple, Google. There's practically nowhere that this company hasn't taken root in," Irina said.

"So whoever is in charge of Seed is whoever is behind this whole operation to resurrect a Black Dragon?" Issei asked.

"That's pretty much the gist of things," Taki said.

**[Resurrecting a Black Dragon is a fool's errand. Even with Lotan's relationship with the Satan Leviathan, I doubt she would swear loyalty to some run of the mill Devil. She's too proud for that.]** Ddraig said.

"_We can't take any chances with this. You heard what they said back at the meeting. Just one Black Dragon is capable of reshaping the entire map just by passing through any location,_" Issei said.

"Sheba-sama, is there anything we need to know before going in?" Issei asked.

"There is. We've caught wind of a brief massive surge of energy coming in from Mount Sinai but our sensors were fried before we could get any conclusive data. I'd be careful if I were you. Whatever caused that energy could still be there," Sheba said.

"Any more questions?" Taki asked.

They shook their heads.

"I'm sending Selene with you guys in case you need backup," Atalanta said.

"Team Diamond is going as well but…," Cornelius said.

"We'll talk about this later. For now, focus," Atalanta said.

"Right, even with Team Diamond and Selene there, help from them will be limited as to conceal our organization's existence from the Supernatural World," he said.

They nodded.

"Very well. You guys are dismissed. I'm sure that the rest of Team DxD is waiting for you," Taki said.

They nodded and left the room. Taki pulled a flask out of his desk and took a sip.

"I could go for a drink," Cornelius said, his hologram flickering for a second before returning with an identical flask in his hand.

"I don't feel comfortable with this. Typhon and Lotan? Those were some of the biggest players back in the day," Sheba said.

"That won't stop them from trying. I assume that they're putting more effort into Lotan?" Cornelius asked.

"Huh? Alright…"

"What is it, Atalanta?" Taki asked.

"There's been no increase in activity around Mount Etna. If anything, all traces of demonic activity diminished," she said.

"We're running around blind," Taki said. "Let's just hope this mission will turn something up. Something that we can use. Seed Corporation and these excursions are our best leads so far."

* * *

**Mount Sinai, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt**

* * *

Mount Sinai. A sacred location, both to the local people that lived here and to the billions of those who followed the Three Principle Abrahamic Religions and their denominations. The place where the Prophet Moses received divine revelation from God and wrote it down on stone tablets. These tablets became known the world over as the Ten Commandments. However, this mountain was more than just a place of prayer if the mosque and church located at the summit were anything to go by.

This mountain was a burial mound.

"Lord Leviathan," a devil said, bowing his head.

Leviathan walked past him, his white long coat fluttering in the mountain breeze as he came upon the large megalith. It had been so long since he'd seen this. Six hundred years, give or take if he remembered correctly. He ran his hands across the smooth surface of the giant rock in front of him as writing appeared on it.

"_Here lies Lotan. Mother, Sister, and Wife first. Black Dragon second. May her soul rest in peace_._"_

"Hey, I'm back. I'm sorry I got back before you but… you'd probably kick my ass for doing that. But Sister is coming now… she'll revive you. Just wait a little longer," he whispered, kissing the rock.

Leviathan turned away and glanced at the devils, who had been patiently awaiting orders.

"I want you to take a detachment and head down to the southern face of the mountain That is the place with the easiest access point. I want you, you, and you to take your forces and guard the north, east, and western faces. You form a large perimeter around the obelisk. The rest of you take to the skies but be discreet," Leviathan said.

"Yes sir!" the devils saluted before leaving to perform their duties.

"It seems that you've started without me," a voice said from behind him.

Leviathan quickly turned around to see her. He smiled.

"Elder Sister Lilith. You took your time getting here," Leviathan said. "And teleporting too? Won't that give off any signatures?"

"Not if you cloak yourself," Lilith replied.

She walked over to the massive obelisk and ran her hands across its surface. A small violet pulse reverberated across the massive stone structure.

"You being here means that we have our bargaining chip for Typhon," Leviathan said.

"Yes, Apollyon's infiltration of Hades' palace was nothing more than a resounding success. Here it is," Lilith said, summoning a small lamp into her hand. Inside was a swirling mass of red energy. The energy pulsed when Lilith tapped the glass with her finger.

"Is that?" Leviathan asked.

"Echidna's soul? Yes, yes it is. This will be our bargaining chip against the God of Monsters," Lilith said, smiling at the soul of Typhon's mate.

"So when are we resurrecting her?" Leviathan asked.

"Hmm," Lilith opened a portal and dropped the jar inside. Her eyes began to glow as violet aura surged from her body. Dark violet lightning crackled across the skies as storm clouds began to manifest in the atmosphere.

"Now…," Lilith said as she placed her hand on the ground. The air went still before a massive pulse of violet energy erupted from Lilith's hand and traveled across the entire mountain, seeping into its very foundation. Violet lines crisscrossed across the summit, creeping into every crack and crag as it made its way across the mountain. The energy lines invaded whatever space it could as it pulsated, releasing small wisps of toxic miasma.

Leviathan watched with budding excitement as the lines crawled up the obelisk. This was the moment of truth. This right here.

Lilith removed her palm from the ground as the lines on the obelisk pulsated.

"Give her a few minutes to recover her strength," Lilith said with a grin on her face.

The obelisk, which was decorated with lines of energy, suddenly changed. The rock became translucent as if someone had swept away decades worth of dust that had collected upon it. Inside was a woman of great beauty. Her body was shrouded in a black burial clothing. The sun passed through the crystal, showing off her light brown skin. She had a pair of curved horns that decorated her head and long flowing silvery-violet hair.

"Welcome home, Lotan," Leviathan whispered as he placed his hand on the obelisk.

Inside, Lotan's blood-red eyes opened.

* * *

**Black Dragons huh? But no Fatalis or Alatreon? But seriously, Black Dragons in this story are Evil Dragons that are deemed to be too vile and powerful to be called an Evil Dragon. Crom Cruach has Black Dragon power but he's not considered one because he isn't "vile" enough. If you hadn't guessed, Black Dragons are based on Black Dragons from the Monster Hunter Series. Alright! Please leave a review and remember to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!**


	37. Lotan, the Coiling Black Dragon

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Mount Sinai, Egypt, August 11, 2020, 10:30 AM, Current Time: 2 Minutes and 40 Seconds Til Midnight, One Hour before Lotan's Revival**

* * *

"Couldn't we have teleported closer to the summit?" Kiba asked as they ducked behind several large boulders. Rias motioned for him to be quiet as she peeked over the rock. Her Power of Sight activated as she scanned the surrounding area before ducking back down.

"So?" Issei asked.

"I count… forty, maybe fifty Devils out there, hidden among the human guards and archeologists," Rias said.

"So how do we get across? Where are we even heading?" Issei asked.

"There's a temple… across from here but to get there, we have to… cross through the guards," Rias said.

"What about flying across?" Tatsuya asked.

She shook her head and pointed at the sky. "There are several drones patrolling the main excavation site. If we try to fly across, we'll be spotted easily," she said.

"So how then?" Irina asked.

"Hmm, how about this?" Rikka asked. She peeked over the rock and saw a lone guard patrolling near the rock they were hiding behind. She whistled, catching his attention before quickly ducking into a crouching position.

"Are you crazy!?" Bova hissed.

"Hello?" the guard asked, his hand twitching for the trigger of his M-16. He pointed the barrel of the rifle over at the rock as he slowly approached it. When he got there, he noticed nothing wrong but decided to be thorough and check behind the rock. As he made his way around, a hand grabbed the collar of his uniform and pulled him behind the rock.

Rikka swiftly chopped the back of the guard's neck, knocking him out. The guard fell limp in her arms as she gently lowered his head to the ground.

"Okay, we have an unconscious guard… now what?" Issei asked.

"This," Rikka said as she began to take off all his clothes. She grabbed his uniform and placed it over her own clothing.

"Mind looking away while I remove my skirt?" she asked.

The men of the group nodded as they all closed their eyes, listening to the sound of fabric hitting the ground. Rikka blushed as she put on the pants, before zipping it shut. She grabbed the guard's hat and placed it on her head before taking the M-16.

"Ta-da!" she said.

"So… disguises?" Rias asked.

"Yeah, I'll go get us some uniforms. You guys stay put," Rikka said.

"Wait!" Rias grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "We can just alter our clothes with magic. Now that we have a frame of reference, I can cast a spell to change our clothing… less time looking around for spare uniforms," she said.

Rikka nodded before sitting down. Rias quietly formed a red magic circle underneath them and cast a spell, altering their clothing to be identical to the one Rikka wore.

"Wait," Rossweisse said.

"What?" the red-head looked at her with some confusion.

"Our ID badges. We're not all… Carl Mitchell," the Valkyrie reasoned.

"Right," Rias altered the names on the IDs.

"Right. Let's split into teams of two and head into the camp. Everyone, keep an invisible CC by your ear and speak through the channel if you find anything. Got it?" Rias asked.

They all nodded and split off into separate teams.

* * *

"Hey so are we going to talk about what happened back at the house?" Issei asked as he followed Irina. Incidentally, due to an odd number and an apparent conspiracy formed by Rias and his twin sister, Issei was currently stuck with Rossweisse and Irina as they tried their hardest not to stand out amongst the guards.

"Now's not the time, Issei," Irina said as she nodded at a passing guard.

"Then when is the time?" Issei asked.

"Guys, stow the baggage. We're kind of busy right now. We can have our lovers' spat later," Rossweiss said as she grabbed a water cup from the desk of an ignorant researcher.

"Wait… we?" Issei asked.

"They know Issei. They've known for a while," Irina said.

"Oh… when did you find out?" he said, looking solemnly at the ground.

"Back at the cemetery after we beat Beelzebub," Rossweisse answered.

"...!"

"We'll discuss this later but right now, focus," Irina said, cutting him off. She stalked off ahead of the two, leaving Issei and Rossweisse trying to catch up with her.

"Rossweisse? How do you feel about all this?" he asked, tentatively waiting for her answer.

"I… feel hurt. Issei, how can you bargain your soul away for your sister? This wasn't what she would've wanted and…," she was cut off when Issei spoke.

"I know. Everyone told me that, even Mitsuki. But what did you expect me to do? Just stand there and let her die? I can't do that… no, I won't do that. If there was a chance that I can save any of you, even at the cost of myself, I will take that chance," Issei said.

"It's just… I don't want to see you die again. I've watched you die against Samael's curse… or thought that you died. I can't go through that again. None of us can," she whispered.

"I…," Issei tried to get some words out of his mouth but found himself unable to say anything. Why was it suddenly so hard for him to try and apologize?

"Guys!"

Rossweisse wiped her eyes and grabbed Issei's hand, running over to Irina. The two found her standing inside a tent with a large screen and a map of the entire world. Several locations had X's on them including the location they were on.

"The Philippines, Greece, Scandanavia… what is going on here? What does Seed Corporation want with all of these locations? Are there more Black Dragons there?" Issei asked as he analyzed the map.

"Other than the one that's supposed to be here? It's possible. Hey, so get this, they're excavating some old ruins they found in the mountain filled with unknown script," Irina read as she opened the folder.

"It says that… they've carbon-dated the ruins and it's… pre-Mesopotamian," she continued. "Strange figures were carved into the stones which couldn't have been done by any pre-Middle Paleolithic and appear to be… Lower Paleolithic… I can't understand this," Irina said.

"It means that these ruins… are at least nearly three million years old. Prior to the Great Deluge recorded in all religions," Rossweisse said.

"Wait… so these ruins are Pre-Human anything?" Issei asked.

"Yes and… from the looks of it, evidence indicates that the temple was active until… 1455," Irina read.

"So… after the end of the Great War and the Hundred Years War," Rossweisse placed her hand on her chin.

"But why now?" Issei asked. "Why would Seed take interest in a mountain, its ruins, and a dead Black Dragon?"

"_Issei. Issei, come in._"

"Yes, this is Issei," he answered, switching to a different frequency upon hearing the voice.

"_It's me, Lisa. We're here at the mountain but… it seems that your hands are full with Seed Corp digging their hands everywhere_."

"Where are you guys?" Issei asked.

"_We just met up with Selene and we've snuck into camp by stealing uniforms. Tohka and Mica went off to find you while Eric, Selene, and I are heading towards those ruins_," she answered.

"Yeah, we'll meet you there," he said. He cut the link and returned to the DxD frequency.

"So?" Rossweisse asked.

"Rias. She asked us if we're heading to the ruins," he said.

"We should head there," she said.

"Yeah but we should wait," Issei said.

"Huh? Why?" the silver-haired woman tilted her head in confusion.

Irina glanced at Issei and sent him a few signs.

"Look, our friends. The ones who were on our team for the Azazel Cup are coming here to meet up with us," he said.

"What? How do they even know?" she hissed.

"We'll explain later, Rossweisse but for now, we need to focus," Irina said. "How long until they get here?"

"Now," a voice said from behind. Irina jumped and turned to see Tohka with a grin on her face and Mica waving.

"Jesus, you scared me," Irina said, glaring at the shorter girl.

"To be fair, it was all Mica's idea," the black-haired girl said, raising her arms in defense.

"It's good to see you two," Issei said.

"You too, Issei," Mica said.

"Oh right, this is Rossweisse. Rook of Rias Gremory," Irina said.

"Hi! I'm Tohka Thyella," she said, extending her hand.

"I'm Mica Johnson," he said, bowing.

"Rossweisse. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, shaking Tohka's hand. "... Are you a God?"

"Hmmm. She found us out pretty quickly," Tohka said, releasing Rossweisse's hand.

"From a handshake too," he said.

"Wait… how… what?" Rossweisse looked between the two pairs.

"We'll explain later. Just trust us," Issei said.

"You owe me more than an explanation. You owe me a damn storytime!" Rossweisse said, glaring at the both of them.

"We will, we will!" the two said, shrinking in fear.

"Good. Anyway, we were heading to the ruins?" she asked.

"Yeah. Come on," Tohka said, walking off. The four followed after her.

* * *

"Hey, Mitsuki, I wanted to talk to you about something," Rias said as she and Mitsuki made their rounds in the camp.

"What is it?" she asked.

"... I know about it," Rias said.

"Know about what?"

"Issei. Deal. You."

"Oh," Mitsuki replied, looking blankly ahead.

"Oh? That's it?" she asked.

"Rias. Can we talk about this later? I don't really need to be reminded that my twin brother threw his soul into eternal damnation for me right now," Mitsuki said as she peeked into a tent.

"Right… sorry but, if you want, I'm here," she said.

"I know and I'm sorry for snapping," Mitsuki said.

"Rias! Mitsuki! I think we found something!"

The two looked up and saw Tatsuya and Yuu standing up ahead of them. The red-haired boy waved them over and the two ran to them.

"What is it, Yuu?" Rias asked.

"This," he said, walking into a tent.

"Just crates?" Rias asked.

"No, there's something inside them," he said, opening the boxes.

Inside the boxes were pieces of jewelry, furniture, and a few ruined scrolls. Mitsuki walked over to the boxes and opened them, finding the same content inside only to find intact books as well.

"Hey, these books appear to be in great condition for being excavated from an ancient ruin," she said.

"Wait… these books. Some of these are Gremory," Rias said, blowing the dust off one of the tomes. "_A Compendium of Infernal Spells Volume 3_."

"So what… there are Devil items inside this ruin? Is that why Seed Corporation is digging it up?" Tatsuya asked.

"It seems to look like they have an additional agenda other than the Black Dragon buried here. We need to get these to Gehenna as soon as possible. There's no telling what this company can dow it this much power at their disposal," Rias said as she began to shove items inside a magic circle.

Mitsuki nodded, doing the same.

* * *

"This place looks… unnerving," Tohka said as she looked at the architecture of the place.

Due to the age, the design was completely foreign in appearance to the standard devil structures they were used to. Most devil buildings resembled that of a Gothic European Style, however, this building threw all notions of that out the window. The stone was perfectly and cleanly cut, a feat that could be achieved with magic. Strange symbols decorated the top of the entryway while empty torch holders sat at the side. Lining the path to the entrance was a line of empty braziers. A small demonic face sat at the center of the arch of the entryway, staring menacingly down at the intruders.

"Anyone have a light?" Issei asked.

Irina nodded and produced a light sphere in her hands as they entered the building. As the small group went deeper, they saw lights at the end of the hall.

"Excavation lights," Tohka said. Irina dispelled her light orb and they entered the main chamber.

"Woah," Issei said.

"Woah indeed," Mica added.

The main chamber was incredibly well preserved despite being abandoned for nearly eight centuries. There were carvings of eight figures. Seven of them surrounded another figure that sat on a higher pedestal. These figures were not at all too large. The figures were about the size of a small crucifix that one would hang on the wall of a Christian Household. The figures each had a small plaque with a carving on it. Each carving was faded due to years of wear and tear with no maintenance or cleaning but some of the symbols remained.

"Enochian," Irina said, brushing her hands over the plaque that was underneath the statue of a man with long hair.

"_The Sin of Gluttony_," Irina read. Her eyes traveled to the insectoid insignia on the plaque and her eyes widened. She took a step back.

"What?" Rossweisse asked.

"That statue is a statue of Beelzebub," Irina said.

"And the others?" she asked.

"The Sin of Lust points to Asmodeus-sama, the Sin of Greed is Mammon-sama, the Sin of Sloth is Belphegor-sama, Envy is Leviathan, Pride is Satanachia, and Wrath is…," Irina trailed off upon seeing that the symbol was completely worn down.

"What?" Issei asked.

"The symbol… it's too faded for me to see. Even if I did, I don't recognize the initial shape. The other statues had insignias that we've seen. The Lucifer insignia on Satanchia is on Vali's magic circles, the Leviathan Insignia is on Ingvild's, and we've seen the remaining Prime Demons teleport so we've seen their magic circles," she said.

"Hey, look at Leviathan's statue," Tohka said.

"That dragon must be Lotan," Mica said.

"That it is. Lotan. One of the three dragons referred to as a Black Dragon and is known by her title as the Sovereign Dragon or the Coiling Black Dragon."

"Lisa," he greeted.

Lisa and Eric walked out from one of the tunnels.

"Hey," Lisa said.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Issei and Irina," Eric said, walking over to them. Issei smiled as he held his hand out. Eric grinned as he firmly grasped Issei's hand and shook it.

"Eric, it's nice to see you again," Issei said.

"Nice to see you too, kid. And who is this… charming lady," he said.

"Eric…," Lisa warned.

"What? I was just saying hi," he said.

"Whatever. I'm guessing that that is Rossweisse," Lisa said.

"Y- Yes! My name is Rossweisse, Rook of Rias Gremory!" she said, bowing to Lisa. The girl laughed a little when she saw the Valkyrie bow.

"No need to bow, I'm nobody important. Let's just work together to complete this mission," she said.

"Of course," Rossweisse said.

"So what did you guys find?" Irina asked.

"Well, other than standard spell tomes and all that crap, we've found absolutely nothing. There's no tomb in the mountain… no burial chamber. The warding on this place has been dead since the fourteen hundreds and we used Scanning Magic and we can't even find a secret chamber," Eric replied.

"He's right. Even with our most powerful scanning magic, we can't find a secret chamber. Well, one big enough to hold a body," Lisa said.

"So what? Hadad lied?" Rossweisse asked.

"I don't think so… perhaps what they want isn't in the ruins themselves but perhaps on another area of the mountain," she said.

As she said this, the entire mountain suddenly shook as the sound of thunderclaps could be heard from the outside.

"What the hell?" Issei said as the group rushed out of the mountain. They gazed at the sky to find storm clouds covering the entire atmosphere. Violet lightning crackled across the air with some of it striking the surrounding area. The winds became violent, akin to that of a storm as tents were blown over. Clouds of sand engulfed the area as everyone covered their mouths and eyes.

"What's going on!?" Irina coughed.

"The summit! Something's happening at the summit," Tohka said. She created a massive sphere of air to disperse the sand cloud as she gazed towards the top. The clouds were circling with the eye being the top of Mount Sinai.

"_Issei! What's going on!? A storm just hit us!_" Rias yelled through the CC.

"Something's happening at the summit of the mountain! I think that's where it's going down. That's where they're reviving Lotan!" Issei said.

"_Go! We'll meet you there! Find a way to the summit!_"

"Got it! Tohka, can you keep that barrier up while we fly our way up there?" Issei asked as a pair of energy wings appeared on his back.

"Just fly! I can cover us! Lisa, Eric, I'll carry you guys in the sphere," she said.

The entire group nodded as they took off towards the summit at breakneck speeds. The group navigated through the wind and debris as tents were ripped off the ground and thrown into the air. A bolt of lightning flew past them, nearly piercing their small air barrier. The closer they got to the top, the more intense the winds became.

A wave of power slammed into the barrier dispelling it.

Issei righted himself in the air with his wings and caught Irina and Rossweisse.

"Are you two alright?" Issei asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Irina said.

"Good, now get back inside!" Tohka said as she appeared right next to them with Mica. She formed the same barrier to keep the winds out as they stared at the mountain's summit.

"Look," Mica said, pointing to the cubic brick building "We can hide in the mosque and catch our breath."

"Let's go then!" Issei said as they flew down to the entrance of the mosque. They burst through the doors and fell to the ground. Eric and Issei both got up and ran up to the temple door and closed it immediately as the sound of wind battered the entire building.

"Um, hi," Lisa said as she saw a bunch of surprised Muslims looking at them. "There's uh, a storm so we just… yeah, I'll be quiet now."

The mountain shook once more, this time even more violently as the winds began to grow stronger. The sound of thunder became frequent as lightning began to strike harder and in greater succession.

"We need to get up there to wherever the hell this storm is centered on," Eric said.

"But how. If you haven't noticed, there's a hurricane in progress outside," Tohka said.

"I can go. My **[Balance Breaker]** will let me push through the winds or we can use Tohka's powers to keep the winds from slamming into us," Issei said.

"I'm not letting you go alone and second, we don't even know if she has enough juice to let us get through the winds," Irina said.

"I can get us to the top. If we're at the mosque, then that means the summit is just a short walk from here," Tohka said.

"Can you really do that? That wind outside sounds pretty intense," Mica said.

"Shut up. I got this. Besides, once we make it to the eye, it'll be smooth sailing from here on out. Okay, Eric, the minute I give you the signal, open that door," she said. Eric nodded and placed his hand on the handle.

"NOW!" Tohka yelled as she formed an air barrier around them. Eric quickly dove into the barrier as the winds entered the mosque.

"Sorry!" Issei said as the group walked out. He waved his hand and the doors slammed shut.

* * *

Lilith stood in front of Lotan's crystal with her hand still on the smooth lattice surface. The lines began to grow brighter and brighter, causing the storm around them to grow more and more intense. Lightning struck other mountains within the mountain range, causing debris to fly everywhere. Winds stronger than even that of a tropical storm battered the mountain range, causing massive devastation to all non-steel or stone structures. The obelisk released pulses of power at regular intervals causing the entire peninsula to shake as the Black Dragon inside came closer and closer to awakening.

"Sister, it appears that we have intruders," Leviathan said, opening his eyes.

Lilith sighed as she turned her gaze on him.

"Astar… take care of them," she muttered.

A flash of blue light lit up the area as a woman appeared, kneeling before Lilith. Her figure was nothing short of divine. She had a lean yet bountiful figure that tempted every male devil within the vicinity. Even Leviathan had such fleeting thoughts before quashing them due to the presence of his wife. Her hair was long, being ice-blue and appeared to be extremely soft. The woman opened her eyes, revealing the icy blue orbs underneath and spoke.

"What is it that you require of me, Milady?" she asked.

"Go greet our guests," Lilith ordered.

"Understood," Astar said as she disappeared in an instant.

"How long do we have until she wakes up?" Leviathan asked.

"Not long now," Lilith said as she took her hand off the obelisk. She glanced down at her watch.

"Appointment?" he asked.

"Yes. Alastor found me a backdoor into Typhon's prison so I'm heading back to Sheol to prepare for negotiations. Guard this obelisk with your life. Lotan will be awake before the hour is over," Lilith said.

"Of course, my wife is inside," he replied.

Lilith nodded and disappeared soundlessly. Leviathan smiled as he summoned a throne made of pure water and sat in it. He noticed the devil guards standing around and sighed.

"Well, don't let Astar do all the work. Go," he said.

The guards nodded and rushed off to do as they were told.

* * *

"We should be getting there in a few minutes," Tohka said.

Suddenly, every hair stood on everyone's necks as they scattered. A giant spear of ice impaled itself into the ground around them.

"What the hell?" Issei muttered.

"Issei!" Tohka screamed. "Behind you!"

Issei turned around in time to see the silver flash of a sword narrowly missing him. He twisted his body out of the way and performed a roundhouse kick to his attacker, sending her sliding back. The attacker dug her sword into the ground, halting her movement.

"Hmm," she said as she straightened herself. She dusted her clothing off as she stood confidently across from Issei. Behind her in the sky were dozens of devils.

"This doesn't look good," Issei said.

"Yeah, no matter how you put it," Rossweisse added.

"_Rossweisse. We're going to teleport over to you right now. Flare your energy so we can sense it alright?_" Rias said through the CC.

"Cover me, I need to signal our location to Rias and the others," Rossweisse said. Issei nodded.

"**[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!]**"

Irina summoned Hauteclere and activated Heaven's Twilight.

Without warning, the two rushed towards the woman. The woman craned her neck out of the way, dodging Issei's punch effortlessly. She countered by performing several precise jabs to Issei's torso and followed up with a gut punch. Issei was thrown back, flying past Irina as she thrust her sword towards the intruder.

The intruder parried her strike, staggering her. She prepared to stab her sword into Irina's chest to perform a visceral attack when a flash of silver and flames forced her to jump back.

"Hello Astar," Lisa said, pointing her blade at her.

"Lisa… have you come to take me back? If so, my answer is and always will be no," she said, her ice-blue eyes staring into Lisa's golden ones.

"No, Astar. We're here to stop whatever asshole employed you and is planning to unleash a Black Dragon into the world," Eric said from behind.

Astar glanced over her shoulder to see Eric with a gun pointed to her forehead.

"Hmph. Well, you'll have to get past me and them. And to be clear, Selene should just come herself if she wants me to come back!" without warning, Astar slapped Eric's gun out of the way and performed a roundhouse kick to his head.

Eric raised his left arm to block her kick before following up with a series of blows. She blocked and dodged before jumping out of the way when Eric's sword came swinging down from an overhead arc.

Astar gritted her teeth as she blocked Eric's attack. She parried him and thrust the sword towards him, causing him to deflect the blow.

"GO!" Eric said as he engaged Astar in swordplay.

"Right!" Issei said.

"They've picked up!" Rossweisse said. "Rias has a good track on me so let's get to the summit!"

"But what about the others?" Irina asked.

"We'll be fine! GO!" Tohka said as she fired a beam of red energy at the horde of devils. The three nodded and ran off.

"This is like that one time after prom," Mica said, floating next to her. He shifted his Magitech to its axe form. He swung the blade at an attacking devil, carving a deep wound as the blade cut through bone and muscle.

"Well, without the punch and the vomiting," Tohka said.

"Tohka!"

Tohka sensed several magic signatures heading their way. A large devil ran up to her and brought his meaty fist down on her. She caught the punch and used her weight to throw him into the sky.

A flash of violet and a series of lines appeared on the devil before he exploded into a series of body parts. Mitsuki landed in front of Tohka, her hands coated in violet energy.

"Where's my brother?" she asked as the others landed behind her.

"They headed to the summit. Go! We'll stay behind and assist Lisa and Eric," Mica said as he removed his axe from a devil.

"Let's go," Mitsuki said as she took off towards the summit. The others nodded and followed suit. As they were making their way, a portion of the devil swarm that had surrounded them split off to go follow Mitsuki and the others.

"Tohka," Mica said as he continued his deadly dance. Everywhere the axe landed sent blood and bone everywhere as Mica swung his axe with deadly precision.

"Uhuh," Tohka pointed her hand at the sky "**[Dawn Strike Formation: Nike Cannon]**."

A beam of red energy shot forth from Tohka's hand roaring across the sky as it instantly vaporized the devils in its path.

"Come at me, you dicks!" she yelled as her eyes glowed blue. Lightning arced off her body as it coalesced at her back creating wings. She launched into the sky, sending arcs of lightning everywhere.

* * *

"Aniki!"

"Nii-san!"

Issei stopped and turned around at the sound of Mitsuki and Asia's voices as the others landed before them.

"We saw the storm and saw you flying up here so we figured that we would follow," Kiba said, smiling.

"You're here just in time. Lotan, it's not located inside the mountain. The dragon was buried at the top," Rikka said.

"Just past that climb right?" Akeno asked, looking ahead where violet energy streaked into the sky. The storm clouds seemed to focus around that point as the storm violently churned and the earth shook underneath the amount of power being released by whatever was up there.

"Get ready. There's no telling what we'll face up there," Rias said. Issei nodded as he moved forward. As they climbed, Irina, Rikka, Ingvild, Bova, and Issei heard something in their pockets begin to beep. Issei pulled his AS out and his eyes widened when he saw the numbers on the screen. The program that Hephaestus had installed to find the culprit behind the Hong Kong incident.

_100% Match detected._

_Analyzing databases to find matches…_

_Match not found._

"Wait," he said.

They all stopped and looked back at him with questioning looks on their faces.

"Whatever did the thing in Hong Kong is here," he said.

"What?" Irina asked. She noticed that he was holding his AS and pulled hers out. Her eyes widened when she saw the results.

Rikka's expression became stony.

"Let's go…," she said, pushing forward.

"Wait. Wait! What's going on?" Rias asked, seeing the grim expressions on Issei, Irina, Ingvild, and Bova's faces.

"We'll explain later but for now," Rikka said. Without warning, she drew Agneyastra and unleashed a massive swath of flames. The flames collided with several water serpents, creating a massive cloud of steam. She covered her face as the scalding wave of gas washed over her and the others.

Issei squinted to better see through the mist when he saw a spear of blue energy heading towards…

"Eren!" Issei tackled Eren as the spear embedded itself mere inches away from them.

"You know… you really don't live up to expectations don't you, Red Dragon Emperor," a voice said through the mist.

"Show yourself!" Rias said, her eyes activating and her Power of Destruction coating her arms and legs.

"Are all the devils of this generation this rude?"

The mist was blown away as a strong gale swept through the area. Everyone flared their power in an effort to not get blown away. When the winds died, they all looked up and saw a lone man floating in the air. Twelve pairs of bat-like wings could be seen extending from his back. His violet hair, similar to that of Ingvild Leviathan, blew gently in the wind. But the one trait that sent waves of fear through them were his eyes.

The same malice that was found in Beelzebub's were found in this man's poisonous golden orbs.

"Wait… that insignia," Rossweisse said, pointing at the symbol on his jacket. The very same symbol that was located on the third statue in the ruins. A cross with two horizontal lines on its main body over an infinity symbol.

"That's…," Irina said.

"Leviathan," Issei finished.

"What? But that's impossible!" Akeno said.

"But it makes sense doesn't it?" Rias pointed out. "If the Original Beelzebub came back, then there was no guarantee that the others weren't running around behind our backs was there?"

She fixed the original Leviathan with a nasty glare. He shivered mockingly underneath her gaze.

"There's a statue of the Seven Prime Demons located inside the mountain ruins. That symbol was found to represent the Sin of Envy," Rikka said.

"My forefather, King Leviathan," Ingvild finished. "And that means that my… other ancestor is up here as well…"

"Oh? A Cambion and my descendant?" Leviathan said, looking at Ingvild intently.

"...," Ingvild remained silent as she activated **[Nereid Kyrie]**.

"What are we going to fight?" Leviathan asked.

"If we have no other choice, then we will but I implore you, lay down your arms and surrender!" Rias said.

"You know… any other day, I would but… you're here to stop my wife from coming back and that is something I cannot let you do," Leviathan said.

"Then we'll force our way past you!" Issei said as he charged at him.

Leviathan raised his hand and blocked Issei's attack, catching his punch. Kiba and Xenovia appeared by the Original Leviathan's sides, ready to slice into his side when several water tendrils swarmed around them.

"Crap," Kiba said as he spun around the tentacles, using Gram to slice them all in an instant.

"Hmm," Leviathan smiled. He gripped Issei's fist tightly and threw him into Kiba. He spun around, delivering quick and precise jabs to Xenovia's torso, causing her to gasp in pain.

"Ise! Kiba! Xenovia!" Rias yelled.

"ISSEI!" Irina shot from her position and with Hauteclere drawn "**[Code Seraphina: Flash Formation Phantom Solais!]**

Leviathan saw Irina shoot past him as he felt several cuts appear all over his body. He grinned as his wounds began to emit steam before closing. He directed his tendrils to attack Irina when several red orbs and lightning blasts destroyed them. He looked down and saw a stream of ice and fire barreling towards him.

"Child's play," Leviathan emitted a telekinetic wave that dispelled the attack.

"Eat this!" Hiruko yelled.

A massive spike of earth threatened to impale the Lord of Envy. But he wasn't worried, instead, Leviathan allowed the spear to hit him, shattering upon impact with his skin. The Original Demon Lord floated there in the air, dusting his clothing off. He smirked at his opponents as he raised his hand. A sphere of black and blue energy formed in his hand.

Suddenly, Leviathan was wrapped and captured by a massive water dragon. The Original Maou was caught off guard as he glared at the offender from the constrictor hold he was in.

Ingvild glared at her ancestor with a terrifying gaze as she closed her fist, tightening the coils.

"ISSEI! RIKKA! DO IT!" she yelled.

"**[Chaos Break: Satan Drive]**," Issei darted towards Leviathan, with a massive ball of red energy in his hand.

"**[Code Laevateinn!]**" Rikka disappeared in a burst of speed towards Leviathan.

"**Combination Technique: Crimson Pralaya!**"

Leviathan found himself being engulfed in a sphere of destruction before a million flaming cuts sliced into his body. The entire sky was lit up in a scarlet glow as the storm was virtually dispelled from the pure force of the blast wave.

Issei and Rikka landed on the ground, looking at the sky.

The light died down to reveal that Leviathan was nowhere to be found. The entire group went on alert as they tried sensing him.

"Eren!" Asia yelled when a portal opened behind him. It was in that instant that Eren reacted, creating a massive wooden tendril that stopped Leviathan's fist from making contact with Eren's skull. The boy jumped back and landed next to Asia.

"Hmph. If that attack hit, I would've been really hurt. Good thing I managed to warp my way out of there," he said as he grinned cockily at them.

"Tch," Issei said, glaring at him.

"You really think just because you swatted Beelzebub means that you'll be able to defeat little old me? You wield the Shevirat Ha-Kelim, the holy power of our kind and it feels like you can take on the entire world right? Well, even with those powers, you're nothing because I'm not Beelzebub. In fact, I'm much worse than Beelzebub so come. See where that foolish bravado will get you, Issei Hyoudou," he said, holding his arms out in a taunting manner.

As he was about to move, Issei felt his ribs break as he was sent flying across the mountain range through several mountains. He landed on the other side, leveling the landscape.

"Heh, and here I was thinking you were going to sleep in," Leviathan said.

"Sleep? When Ddraig and Tiamat are both here? Fat chance."

* * *

A massive ungodly pressure fell upon the entire mountain. All fighting stopped as every combatant turned their gaze towards the summit. The world felt and the world trembled. A being of immense power now walked amongst them.

Astar sheathed her blade while Eric and Lisa froze. Tohka and Mica dropped their weapons, fear being the only emotion present in their body.

"So… they failed," Taki said. The alarms within their headquarters were all going off due to their sensors picking up such a large amount of power. He brought up a screen and looked at the massive red dot that engulfed the entirety of the Sinai Peninsula, parts of Saudi Arabia, Israel, and all of Egypt.

* * *

To say that they weren't afraid of her was a lie. Fear was the only thing present within their bodies. They were nothing before her. Nothing before this monster of a woman that stood before them. Her power was greater than anything they have ever felt from a God or a Maou. The woman's heels clicked and clacked on the stone as her onyx tail swished around behind her. A pair of feathery dragon wings spread from her back, casting a shadow over them.

"Oh? Is this the current generation of Devils?" she asked. Her red eyes looked down on them as if they were insects.

Irina gulped audibly.

_She… She's the Black Dragon. I know about the rumors but I never expected her to be this powerful!_ She thought as she saw the massive aura surrounding her.

"Be nice, Lotan," Leviathan said, walking up to her.

"I'm seriously asking, Dear. They seem to be lacking," Lotan remarked as her gaze fell upon Ingvild "Is she our descendant?"

"She is," he replied.

"Y- You're Lotan. The Queen Leviathan and one of the Three Black Dragons," Ingvild stuttered.

"So I'm still famous in Devil Society is that it?" Lotan asked.

"No. They've virtually forgotten you other than the Elder Devils and the remaining Prime Demons," her husband said, glaring down at them.

"And how does she know who I am?"

"An organization known as Blacklight is actively working against us."

"Blacklight? I guess I'll ask later," she said, shrugging.

Without warning, Lotan quickly turned around and caught a massive red scaly paw. She smirked, her bangs casting a shadow of her eyes.

"Ddraig," she said.

**[Lotan]** Ddraig growled as he tried to force her to the ground. The Coiling Black Dragon grinned before lashing her tail out and sending the Welsh Dragon back.

**|Paws off my husband bitch!|**

Lotan grinned as she used her wing to parry Tiamat's talons. The Black Dragon grinned as she delivered a devastating kick to Tiamat's jaws. She held out her hand as a ball of black and silver flames appeared in her hand.

Issei appeared next to her with his fist cocked back. Lotan looked at him lazily as he delivered a series of quick and powerful strikes. Lotan yawned as she parried every attack before wrapping her tail around Issei's neck. She slammed him into the ground before stomping on his chest.

Lotan jumped out of the way when Ddraig swiped his talons. She landed on his arm and ran up it before kicking him in the face. Ddraig roared in pain as he was sent flying off the summit.

Tiamat slammed her tail into Lotan, sending her flying back several dozen feet. She righted herself in midair and stopped Tiamat's claws from impaling her, using her superior strength and speed to catch one of her talons mid-strike. She grinned as she threw the Dragon King to the ground, sending her crashing into the desert below.

"Ddraig… Tiamat," Issei groaned.

Issei shakily stood and went after them.

"ISSEI!" Rossweisse yelled.

She raised Misteleinnn and unleashed a volley of elemental magic at her. Leviathan appeared in front of the attack. His eyes glowed yellow as he created a series of magic circles, sending the same attacks to intercept hers.

"ROSSWEISSE! DON'T USE MAGIC ON HIM!" Ingvild yelled.

"What?" she looked at her confused. Leviathan's gaze fell on the Leviathan Princess as she began to explain.

"Our family power other than Sea Serpent of the End is known as Sehmehl Kinat. It literally means the Symbol of Envy! Everything we see. All forms of non-inheritable magic can be replicated by our family power!" Ingvild yelled.

Rossweisse bit her lip. She was practically useless against someone like him. "I can't just stand here and let Issei fight against her alone!"

"Neither will we," Rias said. Rikka nodded and got to her feet.

"Bova. With me," Rikka said.

"Got it," Bova said as he opened his mouth.

Rikka raised her sword and ignited it.

The two unleashed a combo attack of Agneyastra's Divine Flames and Bova Tannin's Meteoric Fire.

"Heh. Huh?" As Leviathan raised his hand to fire the same attack, the flames were dispersed as a black vortex appeared in front of Leviathan. He sighed and stared at the newcomer.

"Apollyon," he said.

Irina glared as the familiar masked devil appeared in front of them. Her icy blue eyes stared down stoically at them. She turned around to Leviathan.

"Milord. Milady has ordered that you and Lady Lotan return to Sheol," Apollyon said.

"Already?"

Apollyon's expression didn't change. Her eyes remained as lifeless as ever. The Lord of Envy sighed and waved her off.

"LOTAN! Finish them! Elder Sister is calling us home!" he said.

Lotan deflected Ddraig's attack before countering his flames with her own. The heat radiated by the flames were enough to ignite small plants and animals as shrubbery burned. Eventually, neither flame won and the collision point collapsed and exploded, obscuring Lotan's vision. She sighed upon hearing Leviathan's call.

"Already?" she asked, dodging a swipe from Issei. Without warning, she clotheslined Issei, sending him crashing through several mountains.

"Yeah," Leviathan said.

"Fiiiine. We'll finish this next time, Ddraig," Lotan said as she slugged him. The Welsh Dragon crashed through a mountain and into the ground, creating a massive crater.

"I won't let you run!" Issei said, darting towards her. He created a massive orb of black and red energy.

**[Deep Crimson Spiral!]** Issei yelled. However, before the attack could connect, Lotan was engulfed by a vortex of black energy and disappeared.

"Damnit!" Issei said, as the sphere slammed into the ground and punched a massive hole through the mountain itself.

* * *

Astar kicked Lisa into Eric, sending them both sprawling onto the floor.

"You can't beat me and you know it," she said, walking over to them.

Suddenly, every hair on the back of her neck stood on end as a massive ice shield manifested itself behind her out of instinct. The shield was shattered by a flash of silver as Astar found herself avoiding the blade of a rapier by a hair's breadth. She jumped out of the way, creating some distance between her and the attacker.

"You're late," Eric said, wiping some blood from his mouth.

"Sorry about that. The Warp Gate placed me at the bottom of the mountain due to some heavy energy interference coming from the summit then I had to fly in this weather," Selene said as she brushed her hair out of the way.

"Sister," Astar growled.

"Astar."

A black vortex appeared next to her. "Our Lady is recalling us and all the force we brought."

"... Fine," she said.

"And where do you think you're going?" Selene asked, pointing her blade at her.

"Not back to Greece," Astar said as she was consumed by the vortex. Selene sighed and sheathed her sword, staring at the empty space that held her older sister.

* * *

**Sheol**

* * *

"Milady, the mission was a resounding success," Naamah said, smiling.

Lilith sat on her throne with her hand on her cheek as Leviathan and Lotan knelt before her. She stood from her chair and walked forward, seeing all the expectant Devils in the room. She held her hands out in a grand gesture.

"Rejoice my friends! Today has been a major victory for Serpent's Seed! Our goal towards bringing forth paradise draws ever nearer! Allow me to introduce you to a new member and my sister in all but blood! A precious ally who will help bring down the tyranny of the current system, Lotan!" Lilith said.

Lotan stood and faced the crowd, bowing slightly. The crowd cheered and roared in approval, their morale boosted by her presence.

"For now! Celebrate! For in a few weeks, we claim our next ally!" Lilith said.

The crowd cheered as the festivities began. Lilith smiled and walked back to her throne, sitting down. Holding a banquet within her throne room was not her idea but Naamah's.

She looked up when she saw Lotan and Leviathan walking over to her.

"Well, it seems like they're all fired up," Lotan said, pointing her thumb at them.

"Of course they are," Lilith replied.

"So… when are we going to get this 'next target' of ours?" Leviathan asked.

"In a few weeks. In a few weeks, we will kill two birds with one stone. Typhon's been transferred," she said.

"Transferred? Where to?" Naamah asked.

"Thanks to Apollyon and Alastor's skills, we have acquired information that Typhon has been transferred from his prison in Mount Etna to Cocytus," Lilith answered.

"So how does this equate to killing two birds with one stone?" Lotan asked.

"Simple…," Leviathan answered. "You're going for him, aren't you?"

"That's right. Our targets are… The God of Monsters, Typhon, and the Venom of God… Samael."

* * *

**That's it for this chapter! Please leave a review.**


	38. A Relationship of Needs

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Mount Etna, Italy, August 16, 2020**

* * *

"Hold fast!"

The order came from a hoplite captain to his men and several amazons that had been dispatched to aid them in their defense of Mount Etna. The fears of their gods were rightfully founded for the sky swarmed with the demons of Hell.

All of a sudden, a hail of blood-red spears shot forth into the sky and impaled every devil in the air. Demonic beasts were sliced apart in a shower of gore and blood as organs and pieces of flesh flew everywhere.

Several ground troops from the Devils staggered back as a red blur shot past them, ripping apart a third of their troops within a few seconds.

At the center of the carnage and rain of blood was a woman with fiery red hair. Her green eyes glowed brightly as she held her xiphos up and pointed it at the devils.

"Devils! Go back to your home in Hell!" she said.

The devils looked at each other before looking at her with great anxiety and fear in their gazes. They knew who this woman was for she was famous in the Greek World and beyond. The Amazon Queen, Hippolyta, had graced the battlefield with her presence. As the daughter of Ares took a step forward, the devils took a step back. Even the Hellhounds that they had brought with them knew better than to mess with a woman that radiated enough bloodlust that equaled a small army.

"Retreat? I never recalled calling a retreat…"

That voice made Hippolyta freeze. A massive pressure fell on the entire area. Her own Amazons and troops had fallen to their hands and knees with a majority of them having passed out and foaming at the mouth. She herself was barely doing any better. She was resorting to using her sword to support herself.

In front of her, the Devil Army, who had feared her not seconds before were now bowing and kneeling in reverence as a violet portal opened in front of her. Out of the portal, a woman whose beautiful and serene gaze did not match the malice and power she was radiating. Hippolyta, even as Ares' daughter, never recalled feeling such pure hatred in her entire life. It was if this woman in front of her was misanthropy embodied. A being hellbent in sitting back and watching the entire world burn.

"Ah… if it isn't Hippolyta. You've grown since the last time I saw you. When that little shit Ares brought you to Olympus," she said.

"I'm sorry… have we met?" Hippolyta asked, tightening her grip on her sword.

The white-haired woman's eyes widened at what she perceived as her mistake. She pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated at her own misstep.

"Ara, I forgot that you've never seen me in this form… would this form look more familiar?" she asked. Her snow-white hair bled the color black. A black that was blacker than black. Hippolyta could honestly say that it was as dark as Azazel's wings but her eyes were what made her recognize the woman. The moment her eyes became that ever-familiar shade of violet-blue, she knew who this woman was.

"A- Aglaia?"

* * *

**Kuoh Town, Japan, August 16, 2020, Current Time: 2 Minutes and 32 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

Issei panted as he placed his hands on his knees. He had been training ever since that crippling defeat at the hands of the Black Dragon, Lotan. He had never realized that the gap between him and what the Gods referred to as a walking calamity was that vast. Her power was on a completely different level. If he had to compare it to other dragons that he had fought, she was on par with Crom Cruach… possibly even more. The shattering revelation that there were two more like her.

Issei fell flat on his ass as he looked up at the ceiling. Just six more months until his fated confrontation with Lilith. Six more months of torturous waiting. Not knowing if he was going to make it or not was what killed him on the inside. And it was ruining his relationship with Irina. As for his relationship with Rossweisse and Kuroka, they were more ambiguous. He needed to know where their relationship stood in relation to this. He knew Kuroka understood where he was coming from even if she slapped him when he told her.

"Issei."

Speak of the devil, the person he was thinking of was standing at the doorway. Kuroka stood there with two drinks. One for him and one for her. His mood lowered a little. Irina had been avoiding him for a few days now. Ever since that fight they had before their mission, Irina had been out of the house.

"Where are…?"

He didn't even need to finish. Kuroka smiled sadly at him as she handed him his drink. She sat down next to him as she began drinking her glass.

"Irina is out with Rikka-san and Bova again. Ingvild-chan went with them this time. Rossweisse is with Rias and her peerage," Kuroka said.

"And Vali?" he asked.

"Vali's at the Grigori right now, nya," Kuroka said.

"Kuroka… what are we now? You're dating a deadman," Issei said.

Kuroka went silent at his question. She took one last swig of her drink and placed her glass on the ground. She looked at the floor with no emotion in her eyes before glancing at him.

"I know where you were coming from when you made that deal. Heh, little sisters, right? You'd do anything for them," Kuroka said, smiling with no hint of amusement on her face.

"Yeah, yeah you would," Issei said.

"If I were in your place, I would've taken that deal in a heartbeat… believe me but, I would also stop to think. Is this what Shirone would've wanted? To be alive knowing that her life came at the cost of mine?"

"Is that what went through your mind when you killed your King and his peerage?"

"Yes because I'd rather be alive with a sister who hated me than to be dead with a sister who mourned. To me, I'd rather shoulder Shirone's fear and hate at thinking I left her rather than watching her cry in anguish," Kuroka said.

"I see…," Issei said.

"This is what Mitsuki, Asia, and Lily will feel in a couple of months," Kuroka said.

"I don't want to make them cry," he confessed.

"Then why did you do it?"

The two turned around and saw Irina standing at the doorway with her arms crossed. She looked at Issei with a cold stare.

"Irina…," Issei said.

She turned around and left the room without another word. He glanced at Kuroka and she nodded. He smiled gratefully at her then went after Irina.

* * *

Irina walked angrily down the hallway of the house. Her body was leaking her angelic power as the lights overhead exploded as she walked by. Everyone was steering clear of her. Well, everyone who was at home.

"Irina wait!" Issei said.

"I don't want to talk to you right now," she said.

"No, we need to talk about this. We can't just go around the house avoiding each other. You know that we're running out of time," he said, grabbing her hand.

Irina froze when Issei made contact with her. Her entire body began to shake as she pulled him along before leading him to his bedroom. She pushed him inside the shut the door behind her with an audible slam. Issei gulped slightly when he saw her bangs covering her eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mastema seated in the air with a bucket of popcorn. Inside his soul, Ddraig and Tiamat decided to give the two privacy by cutting their mental link.

In a sense, Issei was all alone in this. As he walked towards Irina, he felt his face snap to the side. It was when he noticed that his cheek was beginning to sting badly. He touched his face and saw Irina's hand outstretched, covered in a soft white glow.

"You do not know how long I've wanted to do that," Irina said as she shook her hand. Issei's skin was harder than she had expected so the slap hurt her.

"Irina," Issei said.

"You… I don't even know what to say to you," she said.

Issei tried to speak but she didn't allow him room to defend himself nor offer a retort.

"Heh, the year is almost over for you and you know what I've been doing?" Irina growled, poking his chest with her finger.

Issei nodded, having a vague idea of what was going on. She was feeling the full brunt of this situation and he couldn't blame her for feeling that way. He knew what her trips down to the base entailed. After all, he knew her better than he knew the back of his hand,

"I have an idea of what you're doing," he said.

"Then why aren't you doing anything? I expected you of all people to fight the hardest to live. What happened to the man who came back after being inflicted with Samael's curse? What the hell happened to him huh?" Irina pressed.

Issei found himself pressed against the wall of his room. Her glare intensified at his silence.

"You don't care do you?" she muttered.

"What?" Issei felt offended at her accusation. He took a step forward, prompting her to step back.

"Of course I care! This is my fucking life on the line!"

"Then why the hell are you just sitting there and doing nothing!?" she screamed.

"What do you expect me to do!? My knowledge of contracts and deals forged by Devils doesn't go anywhere beyond what I learned when I was in Rias's peerage. And those first few months, I drowned myself in texts. Every text from medieval to pre-neolithic lore concerning Devils and deals and you know what they all said?" Issei asked.

Irina flinched, knowing what Issei was going to say.

"Nothing can break a deal!" Issei said.

Irina's eyes widened before they narrowed and she fired right back at him.

"Nothing? You've been consulting texts written after the Great War ended! Why didn't you think to ask an actual devil!? Like Dantalion or Asmodeus-sama! They actually know how to break deals!" Irina yelled.

Issei's eyes widened at her answer before he scoffed.

"If you stopped to think for one second! If you stopped to assess the situation, then you would realize that we have access to two very ancient beings who know their culture better than the current Maou know the names of their citizens! Maybe if you stopped to use that stupid brain of yours, then we wouldn't be in this situation!" Irina yelled, blasting her aura and sending Issei sliding back.

Issei glared at her.

"If I didn't sell my soul, Mitsuki would be dead and in the ground!" Issei fired back.

"You fucking idiot! Did you think she wanted any of this!?" Irina yelled.

"How the fuck do you know what she wants or what she doesn't want!? You and Mitsuki spent your entire childhood hating each other! You don't know the first thing about me and her! You don't know what we went through to rebuild our relationship from the ground up! You don't know what its like to finally get your sister back and lose her all over again! Maybe, if you stopped being a selfish bitch, you would realize that she's my family and I can afford to lose her!"

Irina's face contorted in hurt when he called her selfish. She just wanted to help him. Couldn't he see that?

"S- Selfish? You think I'm selfish?" Irina asked, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"If you can stand in front of me and tell me that selling my soul for Mii-chan is selfish, then yes I do! Are you so jealous of Mitsuki that you wouldn't even want her ba-!"

Issei found himself sprawling on the ground, clutching his cheek. A small bruise was now forming on his face as he looked up and saw Irina. Her face was filled with grief and anguish. Tears cascaded down her face.

"HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!?" she yelled.

Issei's eyes widened as she stepped towards him and pinned him down.

"HOW DARE YOU THINK THAT I WOULD FEEL THAT WAY!? MITSUKI IS MY BEST FRIEND!" she grabbed Issei's collar and pulled him towards her. "So don't you ever think that there is nothing I won't do to bring her back to us!"

Issei remained stunned at Irina's display of anger as she glared at him. Her fury was manifesting itself in the form of her wings, which had fully spread. A high-pitched ringing was slowly begin to build as her eyes began to glow.

"And you think I'm selfish for loving you? For wanting you alive? How can you think something like that? Is it annoying for you to have someone like me love you? To have Rossweisse and Kuroka love you? We're all trying to save you Issei! Your friends! Your family! Rossweisse… Kuroka… me!" she said.

Her glare intensified.

"And you don't seem to fucking care about what will happen to us after you're gone," Irina said as her tears streamed down her face, falling onto Issei.

Issei just sat there stunned. How long had she held this in? Was she hiding this the whole time? His mind was reeling. How did he not notice the turmoil she was in? The grief she felt every day knowing that at the end of the year, he might leave her. Leave her all alone in the world. Guilt overcame him. Guilt for calling her love for him selfish. Guilt for ever saying that Irina would want Mitsuki dead. And guilt for putting her through so much pain. It was a miracle that she didn't dump him there and then for how he acted for the past year. As she cried, Issei wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. He cupped her face and leaned in.

Irina looked at Issei as he held her. He leaned in closing the distance between their faces as he captured her lips in a kiss. Her eyes widened. Was he trying to placate her with a kiss?

She glared and pushed him away but she couldn't overpower him. He was using his strength against her as he continued to hold her close, despite not being lip-locked anymore.

"You asshole! You think one kiss is going to…," she trailed off when she saw the emotions in his eyes. Guilt. Love. Sadness. Despair. He needed her. And she… she needed him.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for putting you through this," Issei whispered. "It's just that… Mitsuki. She's my baby twin sister. I can't let anything happen to her. She's my family, Irina. We've been together since before we were born. I guess… I couldn't imagine life without her…"

Irina looked at him sadly.

"Please," Issei said. "I promise you that I'll fight this. Dantalion told you a way to break it right?"

She nodded.

"Then I'll fight. I'll fight for you. For Rossweisse. For Kuroka. For my friends and family. I'll fight so that we'll never be ripped apart. I'll fight so that we can be together," Issei said as he removed his arms from around her.

Irina almost whined at the loss of warmth from him. In a bold move, she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest.

"Please… don't leave me," Irina whispered.

Issei looked down at her and kissed her again. This time, she kissed back. Her arms pulled him in closer as the two shifted. Issei had his arms around her waist to support her as the two kissed. Irina almost moaned when she felt Issei's tongue enter her mouth.

The two pulled apart, completely trapped in a haze of lust, longing, and grief. They were going to use each other to relieve each other's anguish. Yes, they were going to express their love in an attempt to comfort themselves. To forget that their fight never happened. To forget about everything.

Issei began to kiss her neck, moving down as his hand moved the collar of her shirt, allowing her to do the same to her collarbone.

Irina moaned lightly as she felt Issei's hand grab her breast, fondling them while leaving hickeys all over her neck. Her violet eyes, full of need and lust, stared into Issei's hazel eyes as he looked at her. The two exchanged another kiss before Irina raised her arms as Issei removed her shirt. His hands slipped underneath her black bra as he massaged and fondled her breasts.

"_Issei~_," she moaned into the kiss.

Irina began grinding against Issei, feeling the growing bulge on his pants rubbing against her crotch. The feeling of Issei's sword rubbing her sent waves of pleasure through her body as her lower half felt like it was on fire.

Issei picked her up, the two still locked in a deep kiss and exploring each other's mouths as he placed her on his bed. Issei pulled away and removed his shirt. Irina felt her face heat up as she stared at Issei's toned body. He pushed her down on the bed and began leaving a trail of kisses on her body, stopping at her breasts before taking her left tit and placing it in his mouth.

Irina moaned loudly as she felt him sucking on her nipple. Issei removed his mouth from her breast and moved down to her crotch. He took off her sweat pants and panties, spreading her legs.

"Issei… why did you-," Irina looked up to see Issei's face between her legs. Lucidity returned to her at that moment as her face turned red.

"S- Stop! Issei! Don't look!" she said, covering her face.

"This is… Irina's huh. It's dripping wet," Issei said as he spread open her wet, inviting pussy.

"Don't say something so embarrassing while spreading it~!" she half-moaned, half-exclaimed.

"I want to make Irina feel good," Issei said as he began looking at a small nub located in the upper part of her vagina.

_Is this her clit?_ Issei thought as his face hovered over it. He gave it a tentative lick. Irina gasped and moaned, prompting Issei to continue. He sucked and swirled his tongue on it, pleased with the noises she was making.

_It… the taste will take some getting used to but Irina's moans are so lewd_, Issei thought as he felt his cock throb in pain. He wanted to stick it in so badly. To finally graduate from being a virgin and he knew Irina was more than willing to do it.

"H- Haaa, Aahh~! I- Issei~! W- Wait~!" Irina gasped and moaned as she grabbed Issei's head and held it there. Her mind was going blank from the amount of pleasure that was currently coursing through her body. She felt something building up inside her.

"W- Wait! Issei! S- Something's coming! ISSEI~❤️!" Irina moaned loudly as she climaxed into Issei's face.

Issei's eyes widened as a flood of juices came from Irina's pussy, drenching his face and mouth. Issei had to close his eyes to keep the juices from going in but some managed to go in his mouth. Despite the odd taste, he found that he rather liked it.

He moved his face from her still dripping pussy and saw the dazed look on her face. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were glazed over while her cheeks were flushed.

Irina breathed heavily. She had never felt anything so good before. Her lust-laden eyes traveled over to Issei, specifically down to the bulge in his pants. Using her newly regained energy, she got up and pushed Issei down on the bed.

Surprised by her action, Issei looked up at her and saw that she was removing his pants and then his boxers.

Irina's eyes widened when his cock flopped out, standing erect and throbbing. It was bigger than she had expected but this was her first time seeing one after all.

_Is it normally this big_? She thought. Her mind tried to process what she was looking at as she gingerly took it in her hand.

Issei's mind went white when she began to slowly stroke it.

Irina looked at it strangely but continued when she heard Issei's moans.

_Am I doing this right?_ She thought before she got an idea. Irina leaned in and gave Issei's shaft a tentative lick at the head which sent him over the edge as he gripped the sheets. Irina experimented a little with a few licks before taking his throbbing dick inside her mouth slowly.

"I- Irina~!" Issei groaned as he tried not to grab her head and shove his entire rod down her throat.

_How do girls take these things in their mouth? It's so thick, I feel like my jaw's going to break! But at the same time…, _Irina thought as she felt something tingly down at her pussy.

_Slurp~. Slurp~. Gulp~._

Issei resisted the urge to endlessly thrust into her mouth. He looked down at Irina, who currently had the sluttiest expression on her face. Her eyes were cloudy with lust, cheeks swelled up, and saliva everywhere as she gave him very messy fellatio. Issei felt every little detail of her lewd mouth: the soft flesh of her cheeks, her tongue which was trying its best to make him feel good, and the feeling of her teeth gently scraping the sides of his shaft.

_Fuck! This girl is going to…!_ Issei thought.

"I- Irina!" Issei said as he felt that his dick was going to explode.

Irina's eyes widened as she felt Issei grab her head and force himself down her throat. She almost choked but remembered to breathe through her nose as she felt his hard, thick rod explode inside her. Her cheeks bulged a little as she felt a warm liquid coming from Issei's dick. Some of it leaked out of her mouth. It tasted strange yet delicious… in her opinion at least. Her very biased opinion. But she suddenly found it hard to breathe even through her nose as Issei kept his dick in her throat.

She tapped his leg to let her go but Issei was determined to ride this as far as he could. He had never felt so good in his entire life. There was simply no substitute. No amount of masturbation could produce the same pleasure he was feeling right now.

_Is… Is this Heaven?_ Issei thought. Irina had begun tapping his leg harder and harder until she gave up, her arm falling limp as she felt Issei still inside her throat.

After a few seconds, Issei pulled Irina off his member as she fell over, gasping her air. Her face was flushed a deep red as her eyes were hazy with complete and utter lust. Her tongue rolled out of her mouth to the side as traces of Issei's semen-stained her face,

Issei sat up and looked over at her. Her flushed face, lustful eyes, and open mouth with traces of his cum on her face made his member harder than ever. He crawled over to her, not caring about what was going to happen next, and positioned himself at her pussy.

He was going to do this. They both needed this. This was the ultimate form of love. Irina looked at Issei in a haze of lust and let out a small whine as she felt Issei poking at her entrance.

_I'm going to do it! I'm going to do it! I…_ Issei looked at her dazed, lustful face, or at least that's what he thought he saw. Instead, his mind had conjured something else. He couldn't get it out of his head. Irina's anguished face. The face she made when he accused her of being selfish. The face she made when she heard that he sold his soul. The face she was going to make when she died.

"Issei…?" Irina said, coming out of her haze when she saw his face. His face was wracked with guilt and misery. Tears pooled at the edges of his eyes and began to fall out.

"Issei!" Irina quickly sat up and grabbed his shoulder.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," he said, beginning to sob. "I-... all I've done this year was. All I've done was hurt you, hurt everyone…"

"Issei," Irina said, bringing him in for a hug.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, his lust was forgotten. He just needed her to tell him that it was all going to be okay.

"Shhh," Irina said, gently stroking his hair. "It's okay. We're going to get through this remember? You promised me just now that we were going to fight this…"

"Irina… I'm scared. I'm scared of dying. I'm scared of leaving you. Leaving Rossweisse. Kuroka. My sisters. I don't want to go to Hell, Irina…," Issei whispered.

Irina's face twisted in worry and pity when she felt Issei trembling in her arms. The mood was ruined and the two stayed in that position before Issei said something.

"I- I'm sorry for ruining the mood… but I don't think I could've gone through with this," he said.

"It's okay," Irina replied.

"I want this moment to be special," Issei said.

"I'm willing to wait for you to be ready," Irina said.

"Isn't that what the guy is supposed to say?" Issei chuckled, pulling away and wiping his tears.

* * *

Everyone waited in the living room, wondering why Issei had all called them. Kuroka had an inkling of why they were all there and she was sure the others did too. However, no one wanted to confront it because saying it would mean that it was true and no one wanted it to be so. Her ears perked up when she felt Rossweisse's hand brush against hers and she glanced at the former Valkyrie.

"I know," Kuroka said.

Rossweisse nodded and gripped her hand tighter. The black-haired Nekoshou's sisterly instincts kicked in and made soothing circles on Rossweisse's hand. Footsteps caught their attention as they saw the door open. Issei and Irina walked in, hand in hand. The two noticed how Irina's hair was a mess and that she was wearing a scarf around her neck. Issei was looking somewhat flustered as the two walked past them and sat down on one of the couches.

Kuroka and Koneko's noses twitched and suddenly realized what had happened. Or at least, almost happened. The smell of arousal was growing faint but it was clearly still there.

"So… what happened nya?" Kuroka asked.

Koneko nodded.

"Did Senpai and Irina-senpai do something?" she asked.

Irina's face immediately turned red as her hands began to wave. She tried to get the words out as she stammered her way through the sentence.

Issei coughed into his hand, his cheeks flushed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mastema making gestures with her finger and hand, snickering at the same time. He had forgotten that she had been watching them the entire time. Did she not know the meaning of the word privacy?

**(What is privacy?)** she teased.

Issei sent her a discreet sideways glare as she hovered above him.

"Nii-san, why did you call us?"

Issei glanced at Asia and his heart sank a little. His eyes drifted over to Mitsuki, who looked at him and nodded.

"I have something that I need to tell you guys. But first, I need you guys to promise me that you won't freak out until I'm done," he said.

They all looked at each other and nodded.

"First off, I want to say that… I'm sorry. For everything. For getting into this mess and not asking you guys for help. My grief when Mitsuki died overpowered my common sense and it led me to make that decision," Issei said, getting down on the ground and prostrating himself.

Everyone got up and began to fret as Issei had lowered himself before them. Albion remained silent, baffled that a host of Ddraig would go so far as to lower himself in front of others. In the time he had known Issei, he knew that the boy had moments of pride and humility but he never imagined Issei would do something like this. Vali thought the same thing as well as Issei finally got back up after a few seconds and sat down on the chair.

"Do you all remember when Mitsuki inexplicably came back to life even after we deemed that her body was dead?" he said.

"Yeah," Vali said, a pit growing inside his stomach.

"I…," Issei said, sighing. This was going to be the biggest confession or one of the biggest confessions he would ever make in his entire life.

"I sold my soul," Issei said.

Issei expected many things. Gasps. Anger. A slap in the face. But not this. What Rias said next was something he never expected to hear.

"We know," she said. "Or at least, me and my peerage know."

"I didn't," Vali said. "None of my team knew about this."

"Actually, Issei told me about this when he was talking about some problems he had. A moral problem," Kuroka said.

"So everyone except for us knows," Arthur said.

"As I said," Issei said.

"You're sorry. If we never followed you after that fight, would you have ever told us about this or kept quiet?" Akeno asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Er…," Issei didn't know how to respond to that.

**(Huh, she is every bit Baraqiel's daughter)** Mastema said as she sat in the air next to Issei.

**[She has a point, Issei. If they never followed, would you have ever told them?]** Ddraig asked.

"Issei, tell us honestly. Would you have told any of us if Irina didn't make you?" Kiba asked.

The sheer pressure of their stares made him shrink in his spot. He looked to Asia for some respite but found none as her usually warm green eyes were now cold and devoid of emotion. He gulped and nodded slowly, answering the question that perhaps they all knew the answer to.

Issei was never really one to open up about his internal struggles. That misunderstanding with Issei not returning Rias's feelings was a perfect example of miscommunication or rather, lack of communication between Issei and his friends. If they had just noticed it sooner or if Issei had opened up to them, then Issei's trauma would've been resolved in its earlier stages rather than have it evolve into a self-defense mechanism against any affection shown towards him by a girl who did not love him platonically.

"Issei, did you ever stop to think of what was going to happen after that? How we were going to feel?" Rias asked, glaring at him.

Issei looked her in the eye and saw the signs of tears building up inside them.

"Did you ever stop to wonder-!"

Everyone gasped when Issei was launched into the wall, sending spiderweb cracks running up the plaster. Vali stood in front of the couch with his arm outstretched and his hand balled in a fist.

"Vali!" Kuroka yelled as she and Arthur got up and pulled him back. Issei sat on the ground with Irina and Asia next to him as he wiped some blood from his mouth.

"I deserved that," Issei said.

"You deserve more than that. I thought we were all friends, Issei! Yes, we're rivals but we're friends Hyoudou! Brothers! We fought together in the war together and we promised that we were going to fight one day! What happened to that!? Was all that time we spent in the battlefield side by side meaningless to you!?" Vali yelled.

Issei looked up and saw for the first time that Vali had tears streaming down his face.

"Vali," Mitsuki said as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He visibly calmed down at her touch. Pleased, she turned to her older twin and looked at him.

"Vali is right, Issei. What happened to us? I know that our relationships went through a strain after what happened with Beelzebub but," Xenovia said, "There should've been enough. Something there to tie us all together still. That bond we all forged during the war… was that meaningless to you."

"NO!" Issei said.

Everyone was taken aback by his sudden change.

"It was never meaningless to me. You guys are my best friends. My family. Even if we aren't lovers anymore, Xenovia, you still mean so much to me. But Mitsuki, she's my twin sister. My little sister. I promised that no matter what, I would do whatever it took to keep her safe, and when she died, I felt like I failed. Like I had lost a part of me and…," he trailed off.

"You did whatever you had to do to get it back. To make sure that Mitsuki lived even if she hated you because…," Kuroka began.

"I'd rather have a sister who is alive and hates me rather than a sister who's dead," Issei finished.

"That doesn't excuse what you did, Nii-san," Asia said.

"I know," he said quietly.

"But I don't regret what I did and I would do it one thousand times over for any of you," Issei said.

"Okay," Vali said.

Everyone turned to him as he looked up at Issei.

"I'll help. In whatever way I can, I'll make sure that you get out of this deal," he said.

"That's it?" Issei asked.

"What? Did you think I'd make you have to give a speech? No, Issei. I'm helping you get out of this mess you got yourself into," Vali said.

"Vali," Issei said.

"We're helping too," Rias added. "For all the times you saved all of us, now it's our turn to save you for a change. We're not letting you get dragged to the deepest parts of Hell, Issei."

Everyone chorused in agreement with her. Issei got up and wiped his eyes. He smiled as he finished wiping them.

"Thanks, everyone," Issei said.

"So, Issei," Rikka said, finally speaking up for the first time.

"What's the plan?" Ingvild asked for her.

"Irina's been doing really deep research and she says that there's a way for me to get out of this but we'll have to be ready. Once I violate the contract, everything about it becomes undone which means that…," Issei looked at his twin.

"I'll drop dead on the spot," she said.

"Right, so we need someone to be there to bring her back the moment I violate my end of the contract," Rias deduced.

"A God. Someone who has the domain of Death like Odin, Hades, or one of the Archangels," Akeno said.

"Azrael-sama," Asia said.

"Right, she can be there to bring Mitsuki back when I violate the deal," Issei said.

"They're most likely going to hit Kuoh for you," Vali said.

"Right, so let's start. Let's plan for what will happen six months from now, now that we have a backup plan for Mitsuki," Issei said.

* * *

**Mount Etna**

* * *

"P- Please! Lady Hippolyta, snap out of this!" an Amazon said as she barely blocked Hippolyta's sword.

Around her the bodies of numerous hoplites and amazons lay, most of them horribly disfigured and mutilated beyond comparison. The amazon's fear grew when she only heard laughter coming from her leader's mouth.

"Ahahaha! No no no no! We just got started!" she said as she looked at the Amazon with yellow eyes. She applied more force and shattered her sword like glass and kicked her into a pillar. The pillar cracked and collapsed on top of the downed warrior.

The amazon struggled as she reached her hand out to try and get away when a sandaled foot stomped on her hand. She screamed as her bones were shattered into a thousand shards. Tears of pain streamed down her face as she cried like a little girl who tripped.

Hippolyta looked down at her in disgust. She squatted before the Amazon and grabbed her face.

"You know… I hate the Gods… well most of them at least. Their very existence is a mistake. Lying, cheating, fighting, raping, exploiting. Everything about them is a sin that needs to be wiped from this world. And despite the few that are good, a majority of them don't deserve to even live in the same world as the rest of us. That includes the people who follow them and the so-called Angels that protect humans. This world is just so disgusting now, you get what I mean? Look at what happened to me. Because of the greed of devils and Hades' lust for power and hatred of others, I was used as a factory to pump out devils. That very existence of isolation was worse than Hell but now… now that I'm free, I'll pay them back an infinite number of times the suffering me and my family were forced to endure," Hippolyta said, "Starting with you and your forces…"

The Amazon's eyes widened as she felt Hippolyta pull on her. She began to struggle to pull back as she felt a stretching pain growing at her waist. She screamed in agony, which only brought laughter from her leader's mouth.

"Please, I beg you," she said in pain.

Her smile grew wider as she pulled ever so harder and ever so slowly as the sound of flesh tearing and bones being ripped apart brought joy to her. The Amazon screamed as Hippolyta ripped her in half, bisecting her. The deranged Amazon Queen dragged the upper half of the last living member of her troops away and picked her up by the throat.

"Isn't this lovely? Don't you feel lighter already? Hehehe… ahahahaaahahaha!" she laughed as she dropped the dying girl on the ground.

"Milady," one of the devils said in fear.

"Huh?" she turned to see them all waiting. She sighed. Hippolyta's head jerked back as a funnel of black smoke exited her mouth and landed in front of her, manifesting into Lilith. She stood there for a few seconds as she watched Hippolyta regain her bearings.

"W- What…," Hippolyta looked down at her bloodied hands and saw the bisected corpse of one of her Amazons.

"N- No!"

She turned to see similar corpses all around her.

"NOOO!" she grabbed the sides of her head and fell to her knees.

Lilith ignored her screams as she held her hand out. One of the devils walked forward with the vial that she had entrusted to them.

"Stay here," she said.

"YES MA'AM!"

Twelve black-feathered bat-like wings unfurled from her back and she flew up and into the tunnels of Mount Etna. The deeper she flew, the larger the aura felt. She smiled. Even if Typhon was much stronger than she was, she had an ace up her sleeve. No doubt, her little stunt with one of the best warriors in the Greek Pantheon would send word to the other pantheons.

She shook her mind of any thoughts and resolved to plan for all possible outcomes. A gust of wind had told her that she had arrived at her destination and a smile of satisfaction appeared on her face when her yellow eyes gazed upon him.

Typhon, Bane of the Olympian Gods

The God of All Monsters was a giant of a beast. He stood at thirty meters, maybe more. His skin was navy blue and his long black hair cascaded down his face to his shoulders. His lower half was like that of a snake and he possessed two pairs of wings: one that belonged to an eagle and the other a dragon.

What Lilith noticed that was the most striking were the chains. Chains that were comprised of Adamantine, the strongest metal produced by the Greco-Roman Pantheon. The chains bound every part of his body. His wings were painfully being held by the chains while his tail was nailed to the ground with spikes and adamantine cuffs.

Smiling and brimming with confidence, she landed on a pedestal in front of him. It was just like her husband described. A pedestal where Zeus, her father-in-law, came to ridicule Typhon and lord his victory over him. She felt bad lying to Hephaestus but it was a necessary evil.

Typhon looked up and noticed someone on Zeus's favorite spot. He huffed and eyed the newcomer. He recognized her. Lucifer's daughter. The world knew her as the Ultimate and Supreme Devil. The strongest one to ever exist. His eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth to speak.

"The Princess of Hell has come to speak to me. I feel honored," Typhon said, his voice shaking the cavern.

Lilith's smile grew wider.

"You look well, God of Monsters," she said.

"Spare me the flattery. Have you come to mock me like Zeus?"

"Oh no, I've come for something else," she said.

"Oh?"

"I've come to free you," Lilith said.

"Free me? You must be mad, little girl," Typhon said.

"This isn't a joke. I have come to free you from your imprisonment," she said.

"Good luck. Those chains require a special-"

"Key to unlock? That was rather easy to get. After all, Zeus believes himself to be above all so acquiring this key from his temple was rather easy," Lilith said.

"You're prepared."

"I am a woman of many talents."

"So what will you do if I decide to just kill you after this?" Typhon asked.

"You can but then what will you do about this?" Lilith asked. From her sleeve, she pulled out a small jar containing a red essence. Typhon's eyes widened when he felt the familiar pull and energy coming from it.

"E- Echidna…," he said.

"It took me fifty devils to retrieve this from the pits of Tartarus," she said. "Would be a shame if she was thrown back in there after I died. I do hear that Cronus is looking for a new roommate… fufufu…"

Typhon's eyes widened at her words and he gritted his teeth. This woman was making him dance to her tune. He was just a chess piece for her to move around and she had him by the balls in this.

"What do you want? You came here to pawn my wife's soul and for what exactly?" he asked.

"All I ask for is your allegiance. Your assistance to help me destroy the current world," she said.

Typhon's eyes widened at her declaration.

"Destroy the current world?" he asked.

"Yes… this world is corrupted by sin. Humans, Gods, Monsters, Devils, Angels… all of them have been corrupted. Twisted to becoming horrible versions of themselves. They cheat, steal, fight, lie, and…," she glanced at Typhon. "Betray and Imprison."

She hovered over until she was inches from his massive face.

"Tell me, how did it feel to have Zeus draw and quarter your innocent wife in front of you after you lost a battle that Gaia forced you to fight? How does it feel to know that the Gods and their children hunt your children for sport?" Lilith asked.

Typhon roared at her, sending her flying back a few feet before she erected a shield. This was what she wanted. A flame that burned brightly.

"Did I hit a sore spot?" she asked.

Typhon growled.

"What if I told you that I can make a paradise where you and your family can live and be free of the Gods? Where your children do not have to live in fear of being hunted?" Lilith asked.

"You? You think you can make that?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course. With our forces combined and the Supernatural Pantheons the way they are now, I believe our chances of destroying the current world and creating paradise is rather easy," she explained.

"The current state of the Supernatural World? They are united," he argued.

"Please. An alliance born of desperation is doomed to fail. Once the threat disappears, they will fall apart," Lilith said. "A relationship of need can only go so far after all."

Typhon looked down and contemplated her words.

"Can you really bring back my wife? Can you really bring in a new age of paradise where me and my family can live in peace?" he asked.

"With your help and the power of my mother backing us, I can assure you this paradise as well as revenge on Gaia and Zeus," Lilith said.

His eyes grew wide at her words. Revenge for what those two did to his family? He looked at Lilith and decided to gauge her power. What he saw assured him and terrified him. While her power was vast, it was not on his level but the level of malice and hatred that she had. It took all his willpower not to crumble underneath the weight of her hatred. The very same hatred that he sensed fueled her resolve to go to war against the world.

"Very well," he said, resigning himself to her.

"So we have an alliance? A deal?" Lilith asked.

"We do," Typhon said.

"Very well then," Lilith said. She held her hand out and a small key manifested on top of it. She snapped her finger and the key flew from her hand and into Typhon. The chains glowed blue before melting away.

Typhon looked at his hand as the cuffs around it melted into slag. He smirked and looked towards the ceiling. He glanced at Lilith, who nodded, and took off.

And the world watched as for the first time in thousands of years, Mount Etna had its most cataclysmic eruption.

* * *

**Right, sorry for the late update, and that unannounced short hiatus. I just really felt the effect of burnout and needed a break. Just a short one. And one thing I am sorry about for this chapter is...**

**ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! AHAHA!**

**Believe it or not, I'm not going to have Issei and Irina lose their virginities to each other after an argument. That being said, that was meant to be needy and sloppy. A way for them to forget about their worries. And now, Issei came out with his problems to the others. Well, next chapter, we'll grow ever closer to the end of this arc.**

**Anyway, leave a review! Please! Pretty please! And remember to have a nice day/night wherever you all are.**


	39. Battle of Tartarus Part I

**I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**[Ddraig talking]**

_**[Ddraig thinking]**_

**{Albion talking}**

_**{Albion thinking}**_

**|Tiamat talking|**

_**|Tiamat thinking|**_

**(Mastema talking)**

_**(Mastema thinking)**_

_Mental Communication_

"Regular Dialogue"

**Attacks/Spells**

* * *

**Hephaestus's Forge, Greece, September 20, 2020, Current Time: 2 Minutes and 26 Seconds Til Midnight**

* * *

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

Sweat rolled down Hephaestus's forehead as he placed the metal in the cooling tub. He decided that it was enough for today and walked out of his forge, placing his hammer on the rack.

He walked into his temple's kitchen, opening the fridge. Food and another note from Aphrodite. He had to give her props. She tried this time. He always wondered what made her change but it was nice to be able to live with her in a civilized manner. Well, nice aside from her constant shows of affection. He grabbed a beer and closed the door before he walked to his sofa. On the coffee table, a series of files from Blacklight was laid out.

The release of Typhon had been far more devastating than they had initially guessed. When he was released, Mount Etna had erupted and their initial death projection paled in comparison to the actual numbers.

A pair of hands covered his eyes, causing him to sigh.

"Guess who?" the voice asked.

"Come on, I'm reading something," he said.

"Just play along," she said.

"Lilith?" he guessed.

The hands came off as a pair of slender arms wrapped itself around his neck and shoulders. He smiled a little as he looked over his shoulder into Lilith's warm golden eyes. He pecked her slightly, causing her to jump back.

"W- Wha-?"

"Thousands of years later and you still get caught off guard with that," Hephaestus chuckled.

Lilith puffed her cheeks as she glared at him. Her attempt at a glare made him laugh. She huffed as she hopped over the couch and sat next to him.

"What's this?" she asked, spotting the files.

"Just a volcanic eruption that killed a bunch of people. Typhon caused it when he escaped," he said.

She nodded, looking over the cover of the file.

"I hope they find him soon," she said. Her eyes betrayed nothing as she stared at the file.

"Yeah," he said. He noticed her stare and sighed. "Come on… Lilith. I need to focus on this."

"Come on, we've been apart for twelve years. We should spend more time together like this," she said, cuddling against him.

A small smile graced his lips as he wrapped his arm around her. The soft feeling of her silky white hair and the warmth of her body was something that he missed dearly.

"When are you going to see Harmonia and Pandora?" he asked, his amber eyes drifting over to a painting of the four. A slightly younger Hephaestus held a fussing baby girl with white hair as Lilith stood to his right, barely containing her laughter alongside an orange-haired girl, who was full-on laughing at her father.

"Soon, I need to prepare for this. It has been a while after all," she said.

"I can imagine that Harmonia will probably punch you in the face," Hephaestus remarked.

"I am fully expecting it," she said.

A beeping noise was heard as Lilith quickly got up.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Ugh… some things I need to fix," she said, unable to restrain the growl from entering her voice.

"Things?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've been trying to get Seed Corporation back after Beelzebub… you know," Lilith said.

"You should go. This sounds like something you need to personally see to," Hephaestus said.

"Yeah. I'll be back this evening if that Love Goddess isn't here," she said, pecking his cheek. She waved before opening a black and violet portal and walking into it.

Hephaestus remained silent before getting a notification on his phone.

"Thanatos?" he whispered.

* * *

**Ars Nova, Gehenna**

* * *

The Briefing. The most part of this entire thing. Honestly, Issei would rather just be with Ingvild, Rikka, and Bova than stand here. The three were at the Japanese Base getting things in order for Salem to meet with the Supernatural Leaders. It was also Bova's first official mission there. He had recently gotten his AM registered into the database. Surely, clerical work was more fun than… whatever this was. He looked around and wondered how Rias and Vali could stand through this. Kuroka was also awake which was odd to him. Basically, everyone around him was wide awake and alert.

"To sum up the entire thing, we need both of you to head down to Tartarus. We've established that Samael was one of their possible targets and after the release of Typhon, Leviathan could be going after Samael next," Sirzechs said.

"Wait… Leviathan?" Vali asked.

"Right. After that whole incident at Mount Sinai, the consensus of the entire council was that Leviathan was the current Ha-Satan. All further evidence points to him being the one responsible for destroying Hong Kong as well," Sirzechs said.

"Wait… you make it sound as if there was another option," Irina pointed out.

"There is. Lilith," Grayfia said.

"Lilith is dead," Rias said.

"Was. She is apparently alive with her location being unknown at the moment. We have proposed her to be the current one due to the right of succession within Lucifer's Seven Eldest Children but…," she trailed off.

"Don't worry. While the other Gods believe that it is Leviathan, we are preparing in the case that it is otherwise," Sirzechs said.

"Right, so let's continue this briefing. When you get to Tartarus, you will report to Thanatos and Artemis, who have been placed there by the Greco-Roman Gods to defend the realm. Their forces consist of thousands of reapers, hundreds of ultimate class reapers, Artemis and her hunters, whatever remains of the Amazons, a few demigods, and you guys," Grayfia said.

"I see. And this will be enough?" Vali asked.

"Serafall shall also accompany you guys there," Sirzechs said.

"Will she meet us there?" Rias asked.

"Yes. She's already there with her peerage," Grayfia said.

"That is all," Sirzechs said.

* * *

**Gates of Tartarus**

* * *

Tartarus. The Greek Hell. A most dreary place where the Greco-Roman Gods placed their worst members. The realm resembled that of an endless cavern with a roof that seemed completely out of reach. The clouds and air of the place were toxic and it hurt to inhale. Even Devils were not safe from the pain as the air stung every time it made contact with their throats. To say that it was dark was an understatement. There was no source of light, bar the torches that dotted the place, and the light coming from the wall behind them. Screams of pain and torment echoed throughout the world as they could all hear the various souls thrown into this place tore each other apart.

A chill blew over Issei as he stood at the top of the wall. Upon arriving, he had noticed the cold alluring pull of the river Cocytus as it flowed before them. A soft bluish-white light emanated from the waters of the river as the river flowed towards a massive megastructure. He knew this place to be Cocytus, the Ice Hell. He had never seen it before but he had heard of it.

The Citadel was large and shaped like a pyramid. Bridges went in and out of it, allowing for four points of entry. One of the bridges connected to the wall that they were on. The mist that was exuded by the river rose and formed clouds that spat forth lightning that was absorbed into the blackness of the Citadel.

Whoever thought that attacking this place was a good idea was extremely foolish,

"Rias-chan! Issei-chan!"

The group turned to see Serafall waving at them.

"Serafall-sama," Rias said. Vali bowed alongside Rias as the Maou Leviathan bounded forth.

"Hmph, so these are the proclaimed three Emperors from the Evil Dragon War."

Issei turned as soon as he heard that title, along with Vali and Mitsuki.

The Three Emperors. It was a title given to the three during the War against Qlipoth and Khaos Brigade. While it was common for Issei and Vali to be referred to as Emperors, Mitsuki was referred to as Empress due to her sheer skill and ability to keep on par with the two.

The man that had said that was tall. Taller than even Sirzechs. He wore an ornate skull-like mask that covered the upper half of his face while keeping the lower half-revealed. He had a hood over him which connected with his robes. The robes were ornately designed with gold embroidery etched into pitch-black robes. The robes themselves radiated a black mist. A large scythe was in his hand. The blade of the scythe was pitch black and had a potent aura around it. Just staring at it made Issei felt like his soul was being tugged on.

"This is Thanatos. He's an Executive Class Grim Reaper," Serafall said, gesturing to him in a dramatic manner.

"I can introduce myself just fine, Lady Leviathan," Thanatos said, coughing into his hand.

"I can see you're all getting along just fine."

A silver flash of light drew their attention as Artemis appeared in between the two groups.

"Red Dragon," she nodded in acknowledgment.

"You guys came at the right time," Serafall said.

"Yes, we've had several groups of devils flying towards Cocytus in the past two hours," Thanatos said.

"Luckily, Thanatos and I have been able to wipe them all out," Serafall said.

So that chill Issei felt wasn't from the river. He turned around and looked over the wall to see the entire field before them littered with corpses and ice.

"They've been coming in waves," Thanatos said.

"Lord Thanatos!"

They all turned to see a reaper running towards them.

"More are coming!"

Thanatos nodded as he turned around to look over the field. A large swarm of devils was flying in their direction.

"It's odd," Rias said.

"It is," Thanatos said as he readied his scythe. "I would assume that since Samael is their objective that they would send a large force but…"

"They seem to be trying to wear us down with repeated attacks," Artemis said. "It's a tactic that me and my hunters use sometimes when hunting large game."

"So what if they find out that we're not tiring down," Issei said.

A large tremor caused them all to stumble.

"Aniki, you need to learn that Murphy's Law exists," Mitsuki said as she summoned her energy blades.

"Shuuut up!" Issei said as his cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

**[That does not feel like a Devil]** Ddraig said.

**|No, that's…|** Tiamat began.

"Typhon," Artemis said as she nocked a few arrows into her bow. Her eyes shined as she zoomed in on Typhon.

"We're going to need reinforcements," Thanatos said as he formed a CC.

"We'll hold them off while you call," Artemis said. She placed a few fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. A silver light shined behind them as a chariot with several deer appeared.

"Woah," Rias said.

"I need you and your groups to back me while we hold off Typhon," Artemis said as she hopped on.

"Vali, Mitsuki, and I will take the front. With Albion, Ddraig, and Tiamat, we should be able to fend Typhon off," Issei said.

"We'll be behind you," Rias said as she spread her wings.

The three nodded to each other as they took off into the sky towards Typhon.

Typhon lumbered towards the Citadel of Cocytus. The ground of Tartarus shook underneath every footstep as every monster flocked towards their God. The Devils flew past him with the clear intent of overpowering the forces and with him on their side, it was a foreseeable event. At least until he sensed the Heavenly Dragons heading in his direction.

He clicked his forked tongue. That woman had seen this coming. That's the whole purpose she sent him here with the assault forces to Tartarus. At least he would get a good fight out of this before he returned to the base to look after his bedridden wife. He swung his arm, faster than one would expect for someone of his size.

The three reacted quickly and scattered. Vali flew up to Typhon's head, his Balance Breaker activated, and punched his face. He staggered back a little before unleashing a stream of green fire from his mouth.

**{Divide} {Divide} {Divide}**

The flames rapidly grew smaller until there was virtually no trace of them left.

**[Boost]**

Issei aimed a **[Dragon Shot]** at Typhon's torso, hitting home. Typhon roared as Tartarus shook underneath the God's pained roar. A series of lightning bolts exploded from his body as buffeting winds sent Issei and Vali flying backward.

Mitsuki flew through the winds, using magic to shield herself before a lightning bolt came millimeters from striking her. Luckily, she had used **[Telos Karma]** to alter the bolt's chances of hitting her, causing it to miss. She summoned a host of magic circles that fired a series of violet bolts that barraged the Monster God.

Typhon raised his large arm in defense as the bolts hit him. He growled before swinging his arm towards Mitsuki. She flew into a wall, barely able to erect a magical barrier in time.

Typhon's eyes glowed as lightning bolts crashed down on Mitsuki. Her eyes glowed green as the bolts all missed. She quickly flew into the air and thrust her hand at him. Typhon opened his mouth to unleash fire, only to have his own breath explode in his face.

"W- What!?" he gasped as his mouth began to regenerate. He was thrown off his feet as Vali's fist met with his face. He landed on his back and stared up at the hovering White Dragon Emperor.

"Telos Karma is the Sacred Gear that controls probability and one of the facts that govern this world is that everything is ruled by chance," Vali said.

"Insolent," Typhon growled as he got to his feet. His eyes narrowed when he saw the Red Dragon above him with a large black and red sphere of crackling energy.

"ORA!" Issei roared as he launched the orb of annihilating energy at Typhon.

Typhon returned fire with a blast of pure green fire. The two attacks clashed head-on, bathing everything in white light before the two attacks annihilated each other in a burst of power that leveled the entire field. Every monster and devil caught in the blast radius was instantly eradicated.

In the aftermath, all that was left was a massive crater in which the waters of the River Cocytus flowed into, creating a new basin for the river.

"Looks like we're going to be okay," Artemis said as she cracked the reins. The deer flew around the Storm Giant as Irina and the others jumped off and began to swarm Typhon.

The God of Monsters swung his arm at them. It was like fighting a swarm of wasps. He roared, sending a blast of wind that sent them all back. Fighting the Heavenly Dragons was one thing but fighting all of them at once including the Moon Goddess and Hades' dog was another. It was simply a fight he saw that he could not overcome without suffering massive injuries. He roared once more, signaling all the Devils from Serpent's Seed to aid him in combat.

"We have reinforcements," Irina said as she gripped Hauteclere in her hand. She used **Heaven's Twilight** and engulfed it in golden flames.

Rias nodded as she summoned a series of magic circles around her. A gattling hail of Power of Destruction all fired towards the Devils, hitting a large number of them while the others went to meet the army.

Reapers, Amazons, Hunters, and DxD clashed against Typhon, his summoned monsters, and the rogue devils. Thunder and lightning crashed across the field as the God of Monsters and his army were met with the magic and fury of the combined might of a united DxD.

But the battle did not turn in DxD's favor. Despite their unity, the battle was still locked in a deadlock. Seemingly endless swarms of devils came to reinforce Typhon, quickly whittling down their own numbers as the other side began to gain an upper hand.

Serafall pointed her staff at a group of devils, impaling them all with shards of ice.

"How much longer until your reinforcements arrive?" she asked as she created a blue magic circle that conjured a massive dragon made of water.

"I called ten minutes ago, they should be arriving-"

"Now!"

A series of red energy bolts rained down on the opposing army. Issei stopped his attacks as he looked up, sensing a familiar yet foreign energy signature. An orange blur crashed into the middle of the battlefield. The orange whirlwind swung her greatsword as a swathe of flames.

"Harmonia?" Artemis said as she dodged an attack from a manticore. She jumped over it and shot a silver arrow in between its ice, killing it.

"You sound like you don't want me here," the now-named Harmonia said as she held the sword over her shoulder.

"I didn't expect you of all people to be our reinforcements," Thanatos said as he sliced a hydra apart.

"Hmph, well I was all they had at the moment," she said.

"Coming through!" Issei shot past them, flying to Typhon's face and kicking him.

"Was that?" Harmonia asked as she watched the famous Gremory Peerage and Vali Team fighting the God of Monsters.

"Yes," Artemis said as she fired an arrow at Typhon's face.

"Who else did you bring?" Serafall asked.

Harmonia smiled as she pointed up.

Typhon unleashed a blast of green fire at Issei and Irina, both of whom erected a barrier to block it.

"Irina! Keep the barrier up!" he said.

She nodded as Issei summoned a red magic circle around the **[Boosted Gear]**.

**[Remember our time limit]** Ddraig said.

"Six minutes is our current limit," Issei said. The eyes on the visor of the **[Boosted Gear]** glowed green as Issei raised his hand. A dragon gate appeared in front of him, causing Typhon to jump back. He had seen this before. That brat used it against Kali. He was going to summon-.

He never even finished that train of thought as a scaled fist slammed into his face and sent him flying across Tartarus.

Ddraig roared as he hovered in front of Team Gremory and Team Vali. He glanced over his shoulder and looked back at them.

**[Go! I'll fight Typhon! The rest of you support them!]** Ddraig said. He quickly turned around and caught Typhon's fist easily. He roared before crushing it and unleashing a stream of flames on the Storm Giant.

Typhon howled in pain as his regeneration kicked in, barely able to keep up with Ddraig's flames. He uppercut the Heavenly Dragon, sending him into the sky before manifesting a pair of wings and flying after him.

"Issei," Vali said.

"Ddraig has this under control… let's go help the others," he said.

Vali and Mitsuki nodded before the three dove towards the clashing armies. The others followed suit.

Artemis pulled her dagger out of a dying devil's chest as it fell to the ground. Behind her another devil was preparing to drive its sword through her when a red streak landed on it, crushing its skull.

"Artemis-sama! Are you alright?" Issei asked as he punched a devil in the face.

She turned to see a devil with a sword in its hand, crushed underneath the armored boot of Issei. While she was certain that she would've survived, Artemis felt grateful for the assist.

"I'm fine, Red Dragon," she said. She nocked an arrow and fired it, hitting another devil between the eyes.

"Issei!" Irina said as she landed next to him. She created a light dagger and stabbed a devil in the chest.

"There's so many of them," Mitsuki said as she killed another one. A series of vines erupted from the ground, strangling another batch to death. Eren and Asia were fighting back to back as Eren summoned plants and Asia reinforced him with magic.

"Where are they all coming from?" Rossweisse asked as she caused a spire of ice to erupt from the ground.

She made her way over to the others as they fought.

"I don't know but if we don't find out… we're all going to die," Kuroka said as she summoned a fractal barrier. She sent the barrier hurtling towards a swarm which instantly sent them flying back.

"Just focus on fighting!" Rias said.

Suddenly, a swathe of red flames vaporized every devil in their vicinity as Harmonia landed in front of them.

"Nice timing, Harmonia," Artemis said as she fired a rain of arrows. Each and every arrow impaled nearly every Devil around them as the others backed off.

"Harmonia?" Issei asked.

"The Goddess of Peace and Concord," Rossweisse explained.

"Doesn't look very peaceful to me," he replied, "But now, I guess that's a good thing…"

The battle continued as DxD slowly overcame the Devils as reapers, hunters, devils, an angel, and two gods overcame and defeated the army, wiping nearly all of them out. All except one.

A lone survivor from the group managed to let out a rasp, amongst the charred remains of her comrades. She shakily got up, catching all of their attention as she walked towards them. They all pointed their weapons at her before she was frozen from the neck down.

They all turned to see Serafall walking over with Thanatos.

"We took care of the rest on our side," he said as he threw several heads on the ground.

"Ddraig is fighting Typhon so we can leave that to him," Vali said.

Thanatos nodded as he turned back to the captured devil. Her mouth was moving and there was a faint sound coming from it but they couldn't make out what she was saying. He walked over and backhanded her, causing the devil to snarl and snap at him. She glared at Thanatos with her eyeless sockets, the eyes melted from Harmonia's flames as she began to chant again.

"Selah… selah… are chanting evermore," she said as she slowly got quieter and quieter.

"What?" Rias said.

"Selah is a Hebrew word that means eternal," Serafall said, "It sounds like a prayer…"

"A prayer to who? Devils aren't the praying type… no offense Asia, Xenovia," Irina said, holding her hands up in surrender after realizing what she had said.

"Not exactly," Harmonia said as she walked over to the chanting devil. "Devils back then prayed to someone. Lucifer, their creator…"

"Lucifer is dead," Serafall said.

Their conversation was interrupted when Typhon crashed into the ground in front of them. He groaned as Ddraig hovered over him. This battle was over. Ddraig looked down at his fallen foe and prepared to destroy him. He unsealed his flames. The very flames he promised to never use in a fight. **Blazing Inferno of Scorching Flames**. A fire that can incinerate even themselves. As red and orange flames gathered in his mouth, Ddraig never noticed a violet portal opening behind him.

But the others did.

"DDRAIG!" Issei yelled.

However, it was too late. When Ddraig turned around, he was met with a barrage of orbs resembling the Power of Destruction. Taken by surprise, he was staggered as a series of portals opened around him. An onslaught of various attacks ranging from fire to lightning to the Power of Destruction attacked the Heavenly Dragon. These attacks were nothing but stings to Ddraig but repeated stings stacked and began to deal some damage to him, albeit it was a small amount.

As he blocked these attacks, Typhon took this as an opportunity to attack. He struck Ddraig in the back and sent him flying into one of the mountains in Tartarus.

"Ara ara, Typhon… when I sent you here, I didn't know that I would need to come and assist you," a voice from the portal said. It was melodious and seductive, laced with pure and utter authority and power that even Typhon cowed and bowed his head to it.

"A minor hiccup, I assure you," he said.

The voice left everyone pinned to their spots as the hold it had on them tightened.

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

A woman walked out of the portal, small violet circles appearing under her feet with every step. Her long flowing white hair blew gently in the toxic breeze of Tartarus. Her back was facing them but that was soon over when she glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes. Her eyes were the same as Beelzebub's except for one minor detail. The malevolence and malice inside them were on a whole different level. She turned around to fully face them as she descended to the ground, landing softly.

"N- No," Harmonia dropped her sword as she took a step back.

"No way…," Mitsuki's eyes widened like saucers. Issei was speechless upon seeing her.

This woman. All three of them knew her very well. All three of them had a connection to her.

"Lili-nee?" Issei and Mitsuki said.

"Mom?" Harmonia asked in disbelief.

Lilith remained silent. However, her malevolent gaze noticeably softened upon hearing them call her.

"Who are you?" Serafall asked, pointing her staff at her.

"That's Lilith," Thanatos said, gripping his scythe.

The name sent shivers down Artemis's spine. Lilith. She remembered her being mentioned by her father during the Great War. Despite some of the other Olympians wanting to interfere, her name was one of the names that made her father decide not to. A demon whose power was on par with that of the Gods. The Supreme Devil. The Ultimate Devil. The Vilest Demon. Those were just some of the names that were used to refer to her.

"Take care of the Heavenly Dragon. I'll retrieve Samael myself," she said.

Typhon nodded before making his way towards the downed Ddraig.

Thanatos gripped his scythe tightly. The remaining reapers and hunters that they had on their side along with the Maou Leviathan, Artemis, Harmonia, and DxD. Were they really enough to stop her? Stories of her prowess had reached even the Greek Underworld. Tales of the white-haired Devil Princess wiping out scores of Angels and Fallen Angels alike. Tales of how she had killed off a majority of the Canaanite Pantheon alongside her siblings, Belphegor and Mammon. A truly terrifying existence indeed. His eyes narrowed when she began to move.

She took a step forward, alerting the army.

A reaper gripped his scythe tightly and gulped. Several thoughts flew through his mind. Would he be able to make it home to his wife and children? A hunter pulled out her necklace and began to desperately pray to her Goddess and to the other Gods of Olympus.

As Lilith began to silently walk towards them, fear and apprehension flooded them as their instinct to survive kicked into overdrive. Even Vali was not spared from this. Every cell in his body screamed at him to run and flee from this absolute monster. Rias gulped as she tried to sense her power. Almost immediately, she began to vomit violently.

"Rias!" Irina said as she knelt next to her.

"W- We're screwed! It's so… evil. Her power feels so evil," Rias said as she looked at their slowly advancing enemy with terror in her eyes. It was as if she was enjoying the fear they were feeling.

After a few steps, she began to walk faster.

"She's coming," Mitsuki said. Issei gulped as she approached.

Thanatos gulped as he barked a command to his reapers.

"Don't give her an inch to breathe!" he yelled as he threw his hand forward.

Hearing their leader speak, the reapers all roared a battle cry and began to charge at Lilith.

"Don't let this demon get to the Citadel! FIGHT AND HUNT HER LIKE THE BEAST SHE IS!" Artemis cried.

The hunters all let out similar battle cries and joined their reaper comrades as a force of over three hundred reapers and hunters charged at Lilith. She ran headfirst into the swarm, sending several dozen of them flying.

She ran into the middle of them, surrounded as she kicked a reaper, snapping his neck. She ducked underneath the swing of a scythe before punching the reaper in the chest with enough force to rupture his heart and send him flying.

She turned towards a hunter, who backed away as she had her skull caved by Lilith's kick before she used her face as a launchpad and jumped into the air. She performed an ax kick to send a few Reapers and Hunters flying. She punched a hunter in the throat before ducking under a swing from a sword. She shoved her hand through the stomach of a reaper before rapidly pulling it out and caving in the skull of the huntress who tried to decapitate her.

Another reaper charged at her and tried to swing her scythe, only to be easily disarmed by Lilith before being spun around and thrown into a group of hunters.

This deadly dance continued as Lilith dodged several spells aimed at her. Several hunters tried to engage her as she blocked a punch with the back of her hand. She quickly turned around and broke the reaper's neck before dodging the swipe of a hunter's dagger. She elbowed her attacker in the jaw, sending them back before kicking another hunter in the face.

Her eyes moved rapidly around the field before she disappeared in a burst of speed.

"Don't let her get away!" Thanatos said.

The army followed as Lilith picked up a dagger and began killing off her pursuers. She danced around their strikes, countering with deadly precision.

A hunter aimed her bow at Lilith and fired. As she dodged and counter, Lilith caught the arrow and kicked away a reaper before throwing the arrow back at the shooter. The arrow pierced her throat, causing the hunter to fall over and choke on her own blood.

She quickly dashed towards a hunter, engaging them in close combat. She sliced their throat before parrying a reaper scythe with her dagger and stabbed them in the chest. She moved slightly to the side and caught the arm of an attacker, breaking it and using her as a weapon against another attacker.

She dashed towards a dagger before going on a hacking spree, cutting apart spell and foe alike before she jumped over a hunter, stabbing her in the skull at the same time. Lilith dashed towards a dropped scythe and swung it, killing her surrounding opponents. She parried a hunter's sword and killed her before using her body as a shield for a hail of arrows.

She dashed up to a reaper who had his scythe ready to impale her skull when her mere presence caused him to choke on his actions. She sliced him in half with the scythe before throwing it into another reaper. She blocked two attacks at once before pulling the two attackers together and bashing their skulls in.

A reaper coated his scythe in darkness and swung it, hoping to hit Lilith. She easily dodged it before disarming him and picking him up by the throat.

"Heh, did you feel like dancing with me too?" she grinned as she began to strangle the reaper.

A highly pressurized blast of water hit Lilith, causing her to drop the reaper and sent her flying away from the army. She flipped and landed, sliding for a few meters before stopping.

Serafall glared at her with her staff pointed.

"Don't think for a second that you're going to get through us," she said.

Lilith stood up and dusted her clothes off, drying them with magic.

Serafall's eye twitched at Lilith's subtle mocking attitude.

Lilith looked at the army before raising a finger gun at them.

Harmonia's eyes widened.

"She's about to incinerate us!" she yelled.

True to her words, Lilith unleashed a massive wave of golden flames at them. The heat and intensity were great, even for Tartarus as the flames melted and consumed everything in their path.

"Barrier Magic Users!" Serafall yelled as she erected a massive barrier.

Akeno, Asia, Rossweisse, Rias, Le Fay, and several other dozen hunters and reapers assisted Serafall as their combined barrier held off Lilith's flames.

They all strained as the barrier began to crack and flicker before the flames finally died down. They all sighed in slight relief before the barrier was shattered by Lilith, sending them all back.

Several golden balls of flame impacted portions of the army as Lilith continued to slaughter reapers and hunters alike.

"Damnit!" Issei said as he took off towards her.

"Issei, wait!" Irina called.

Lilith kicked away a reaper before using the dagger she got to try and kill a hunter. Her eyes narrowed when her attack hit snow. She sensed someone trying to attack her from behind and kicked them, only for her foot to hit ice.

She jumped into the air, breaking and dodging the ice spikes that shot towards her. A hail of arrows, lightning, fire, and magic forced her down to the ground as she avoided them, performing flips and twists to keep from being hit. As she slid to a stop, she looked up and saw Rias holding a massive orb of destruction.

"**Crimson Spiral!**" she slammed the orb down on Lilith, the force of the blast sending all the people around them away.

Her eyes widened when Rias saw that her attack wasn't making contact with Lilith. Lilith looked at a slight glare as a blue hexagonal barrier that rapidly expanded and reflected her attack, sending Rias flying back.

"That's the Glasya-Labolas clan's power!" Serafall said.

"Absolute Defense," Thanatos said as he gripped his scythe, "She's using the **Shevirat Ha-Kelim**."

"Issei," Vali said as he glanced at him.

"Yeah," Issei clapped his hands together.

"_Tiamat, I'm going to need you to lend me every bit of power you can_," Issei said.

**|I have no problem doing that|** Tiamat responded as the gem on the Scale Mail began to turn blue.

_Mastema, can you help?_ He asked.

**(Why are you even asking?)** she said.

Vali's armor glowed silver as his armor shifted to his **{Diabolos Dragon Lucifer}**.

"Mitsuki, make sure our attacks don't miss," Issei said as he activated his **[Chaos Breaker: Satan Drive]**.

"Yeah," she said. "**[Crossed Fates: Form Skuld]**."

Unlike Form Verdandi, Form Skuld manifested a blue dress that exposed Mitsuki's shoulders. The sleeves were far longer than that of Verdandi. A golden crown manifested on her head as a pair of mechanical golden wings sprouted from her back underneath her Devil Wings. A series of sapphire blue clocks floated behind her.

"Ready?" she asked.

The two glanced at her then back to Lilith, who had just deflected Akeno and Rossweisse's combined magical attack and unleashed a stream of hellfire on the army.

"Oi… let's see if I can use that technique you used during our fight," Issei said as he held his wingtips out in front of him. His chest plate shifted to reveal a pulsating blue core as blue particles converged at the center.

Vali's chest slid open to reveal a muzzle cannon that began to charge black and silver energy.

Mitsuki held her hand out and several violet magic circles appeared in front of her.

"**[|Engur!|]**

**{Satan Lucifer Smasher!}**

"**Ad Astra!**"

An azure blast of pure chaos energy fired from Issei. Vali fired a black and silver blast of aura from his chest while Mitsuki let loose a bombardment of violet energy. The three attacks combined together into a singular blast capable of severe damage to the terrain and possibly killing beings of Heavenly Dragon Class power. As the blast neared Lilith, everyone jumped out of the way as she froze similar to a deer in the headlights. The attack slammed into her, sending her flying from the army and into the skies of Tartarus before the attack slowed down.

"W- Why did it stop?" Asia asked.

The blast began to compress and swirl as its form warped and twisted into a funnel.

"No way…," Kuroka said.

The blast was getting consecutively smaller and smaller with each passing second before finally, Lilith hovered in the air with her hand stretched out. Her glove had been incinerated by the raw energy of the blast. Her palm was smoking as her skin healed slowly but surely.

"That was too much energy," she said, closing and opening her fist.

"S- She absorbed it?" Artemis looked in shock.

"But… w- wait," Issei began.

"Yeah, that's Beelzebub's power," Vali said.

"I'm getting tired of this," Lilith said as Typhon landed next to her.

Issei's eyes narrowed when he saw him.

**[Our time limit ran out…]** Ddraig said.

_Damnit_, he thought as he kept his gaze towards the air.

"The Heavenly Dragon escaped. Most likely back into the Boosted Gear," he stated as he looked down on the remaining army.

"This is beginning to be a bigger hassle than I thought it to be. I underestimated their ability to gather together like ants when threatened," Lilith said.

"Mom…," Harmonia looked up at her mother. This entire encounter had been a reeling moment for her. Her mother. Her own mother was what they were fighting against and judging from the way Typhon and the other devils referred to her, she was their leader.

"Then let's wipe this slate clean then," Lilith said as she looked down on them. She raised her hand, prompting a reaper to fire a spell at her.

The reaper's action triggered the other troops in the army to do the same. Thanatos began to yell.

"CEASE FIRE! NO ONE TOLD YOU ALL TO ATTACK!" he yelled as a volley of spells and arrows all streaked towards Lilith.

Typhon looked at them impassively while Lilith smiled. She held out her hand and snapped her fingers as a series of black and violet portals opened, absorbing all the attacks into them.

"BARRIER!" Serafall ordered. She cast a barrier over them, which was reinforced by several dozen more barriers. Lilith unleashed the portals not on them which they originally thought but on something far more lethal.

A series of over a hundred portals opened over the Citadel of Cocytus. She smiled as the portals glowed, unleashing all the attacks that they fired at her over the prison.

"No," Thanatos said as the buildings crumbled away. A massive alarm blared from inside the citadel as prisoners, the ones that survived, began making their way from their ruined cells into the equally destroyed courtyard.

"She busted open the Citadel," Harmonia said.

"What do we do?" Issei asked as he landed next to them. He glanced over his shoulder to see Lilith hovering in the air, looking down at them.

They were trapped between some of the worst criminals in the entirety of the world and some of the two most powerful beings to ever exist.

"We'll split up," Serafall said.

"HUH!?"

They all looked at her as if she had lost her remaining brain cell.

"No, listen to me," Serafall said. She looked at them with pure seriousness in her eyes. A look that was rarely seen due to her usual childish attitude.

"Rias, Vali, Issei."

The mentioned three looked at her.

"I need you guys to take your teams and control the situation inside. There are prisoners in Cocytus that we can't have getting out. The Titan of Time and the Venom of God being two prime candidates," she said.

"In that case, I'll accompany them," Artemis said, "Cronus is no easy task. But with the might of the Dragon Emperors, putting him back in his prison will be mildly difficult. I'm far more worried about Samael getting free and into the hands of our enemies…"

"Which is why we're staying out here. To keep Lilith and Typhon from advancing into the Citadel," Serafall said.

"You can count on us," Issei said.

The ground shook as an explosion happened inside the prison.

"Go! We can handle this here!" Thanatos said.

Team DxD collectively nodded before taking off towards the prison. As they flew, Issei looked over his shoulder. His eyes fixed solely on Lilith. The white-haired demon locked eyes with him as she gave him an expressionless face.

"Onee-chan," Issei said.

"Aniki," Mitsuki flew next to him.

"Issei," Irina appeared on his right.

He smiled at them.

"Let's keep going," Issei said, smiling reassuringly.

The two glanced at each other as Issei flew past them before flying to catch up.

* * *

Amidst the ruins of the once-proud Citadel of Cocytus, as the Titans, Fallen Angels, and horrible monsters that defied description rampaged across the Citadel, there sat an entrance. An entrance at the center of the prison. The door was slightly ajar, having been busted open due to Lilith's attacks. A cold mist wafted out from the door and inside this door, Samael felt the air change. And for the first time, he expressed a different emotion on his face. One that was not of suffering nor pain. No, no, no.

For the first time since the Dawn of Man and the Old World, Samael smiled.

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**Anon: I haven't actually spoken to IluLugal in a while. I think since I began the story and asked him to read over a few of my chapters to see what he thought. I believe that he's still writing, however, he's most likely working on some original work.**

**Ravel Phoenix: Actually, Lotan kneels to Lilith because she's technically Lotan's older sister. She married the Original Leviathan and became Queen Leviathan, making Lilith her sister-in-law. As for who's stronger, since Lotan can fight on par with Ddraig, she would be stronger than Typhon.**

* * *

**Next chapter, Samael shall enter the world. Maybe. For anyone who asks, yes, I based that scene from Madara vs the Shinobi Alliance. Also, yes, Lilith is weaker than Ddraig. A surprise attack can catch anyone off guard. Don't take that as Lilith being stronger than him. He's Ddraig for Ddraig's sake. Anyway, follow and favorite if you enjoyed and don't forget to leave a review. **


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